


The Beauty of Love Is It's Complexity

by GMMythicalBeast



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Childhood, F/M, M/M, Omega Verse, Past Child Abuse, Self-Harm, Teen Angst, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-07-28 09:39:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7635349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GMMythicalBeast/pseuds/GMMythicalBeast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This fanfiction is in the Omegaverse AU. If you do not know what that is, I've dedicated the first chapter as an introductory to the universe.<br/>--------------------<br/>All of his life, Link has struggled to understand how love works. He believed that in order to finding love, one must understand it's concept and rules. However, he finally found out, after a good chunk of life has passed, that love is way more complex than what the average human can comprehend.<br/>-------------------<br/>There will be time skips in this fanfiction, since I want to get to the plot as quick as possible, while keeping a good story going.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction to the Omegaverse

**Author's Note:**

> Aye. Author here. If you don't wish to read the introduction to omegaverse (especially my take on omegaverse), then you can skip to the next chapter. However, I insist that you read it to know how I've interpreted the universe. Also, if you have no idea what omegaverse is and you clicked this... I hope you fall in love with it like I did. It may seem strange at first, but just keep reading. It's such a good AU.

No one ever knew how the wolf-hybrid of humanity came to be. One moment there were men and women, and the next, gender was almost completely useless. Men could mate with men, and women could mate with women. A man and a woman could have a child, even if the male was the one delivering the baby. However, people weren’t necessarily sure if genders existed anymore. What one used to call “female” could still look exactly like a female: breasts, long eyelashes, a feminine body, however, that “female” would have a penis instead of the typical “female” genitals. This went for some “men” as well: strong build, bushy eyebrows, lots of hair, however, “he” would have a vagina. Though, this was where doctors and scientists never quite understood the evolution of humans into the hybrids. The women with penises had no trace of a vagina from ancestors, however, the men with the vaginas still had a functioning penis. The men could produce sperm, but it had no ability to fertilize eggs. The sperm was sterile. The vagina was located in the rectum as a separate opening, which baffled the experts. 

Years after the evolution suddenly occurred, government officials started to apply names to where they needed them. People did, in fact, end up still using male and female as terms, but three new terms had been added: alpha, omega, and beta. Alpha was the term used for the dominating humans with the male anatomy. Omega was the term for the submissive humans with the female anatomy (plus the penises for the males). Beta was the term for the regular humans who had not evolved. 

The way to tell the difference between alpha/omega and beta for men with the regular male-anatomy and the females with regular female-anatomy, would usually have been how the person reacted to an omega on his/her heat, or how the female acted on her heat. Omegas were instinctively submissive to any presence of an alpha, and alphas instinctively wanted to dominate any omega on his or her heat. Now, this isn’t to say that alphas and omegas had no self-control, but it is how one would feel internally while experiencing these effects.

Another way to decipher if a male was an alpha or not, would’ve been to check the size of one’s length so-to-speak. Alpha males were more than likely to have a length way above the normal size. As well as, when an alpha goes through puberty, he eats twice as much as the normal beta due to the fact that alphas naturally gain more muscle mass at one time.

When omegas went through puberty, it had the same effect as a beta-woman going through her’s, but with minor exceptions. Omegas still had the week of bleeding, except when betas went through this, they weren’t fertile at the time. When an omega went through it, this meant they were extremely fertile and ready to be mated. During a heat, an omega could feel extremely turned on, which was completely normal, considering their body is saying that they must be carted away and mated with immediately. 

During conception for alphas and omegas, the most probability for becoming pregnant happened during the heat. Alphas and omegas both had scents, but the scent was usually stronger to the alpha. The scent of an omega in heat is what entices the alpha and causes him/her to want to mate them. The scent of an omega in heat was also what triggered an alpha to knot his/her omega. A knot was a tissue at the base of the penis that swelled up during the climax of the alpha. When this happened, the base of the penis would enter the omega, thus locking them together. This was basically a way to fertilize the omega. Alphas ejaculated much more than a beta male, and the knot basically kept the semen from spilling out. The knot could stay swelled anywhere from ten minutes to two hours. 

Omega scents were quite dangerous to an omega whom was alone, because some alphas didn’t have any self-control. This caused omegas to be raped by random alphas, thus making it important for omegas in heat to stay locked up.

Scent blockers did exist. The blockers were little pills that kept the hormones in the omega’s body from creating an alluring scent whilst in his/her heat. However, the pills were quite expensive. 

Alphas had scents as well, however, their scent was more of just something for an omega to enjoy. Depending on how the alpha treated the omega, an alpha’s scent could be very calming. For example, an omega could be having an anxiety attack, but once in the presence of his/her alpha, that anxiety could quickly diminish. For both the alpha and omega, the scent gland was located on base of the neck. Omegas also released the scent from their genitals during their heats.

Marriages still existed, however, for alphas and omegas, the form of a symbolic relationship was expressed on the scent gland of their partner’s neck. During mating, the alpha would bite down on the omega’s neck, causing a mark to internally form on his or her neck. If the love between them was really true love, a double bond could be formed where the omega bit the alpha’s neck as well. This was extremely rare, and almost unbelievable to most people. If a divorce was needed, the bond would have to be dissolved by a doctor, which was an extremely painful process. This would always cause the omega to go into a state of depression at the loss of its mate, despite if it was a healthy relationship or not. 

This is called the omegaverse: An alternate universe used in writing. These details are specific to this author, considering the details change person to person. If you still do not understand the concept, there are blogs about it. Keep in mind that the details change author to author. Omegaverse is a newer universe that is still being created everyday.


	2. Of Course An Alpha Can Be Friends With An Omega

A small brunet boy sat at the kitchen table kicking his legs repeatedly. His mother was at the stove, trying to quickly cook a meal for her family. “Momma?” He looked up at her with his big .blue eyes. The short brunette woman turned around to meet his eyes. “What, Charles?” She tried to glare at him, but his innocent eyes only caused all of her pepped up anger to melt away in an instant.   
“I told you to call me Link like daddy likes to be called.” He grumbled before looking back down at his homework. “Sorry… I forgot that you and Jimmy don’t like it when I mention daddy…” His voice had dropped to a sad whisper once he had reached the end of his sentence. His mom let out a long sigh before turning off the stove and walking over to her son. She crouched down next to him, meeting his height, and stroked her hand over his hair. “Honey, just cause your daddy and I broke up doesn’t mean you can’t talk about him. I know you love him. He’s a wonderful father. Now what were you going to ask me, my little angel?” Link let out a small giggle as he looked up at his mother. “Your little angel?” His mom let out a small laugh as well. “Of course you’re my little angel. My beautiful gift from the Lord. My prized possession from our Father.” All the sadness that had been in Link’s eyes before was now completely diminished. “Well I wanted to ask if you are still mad at me for gettin’ a detention from Miss Locklear…” He quickly looked down at his homework instead of looking into her eyes, fearing that he’d see that anger reawaken. Ever since she had gotten the note that was sent home with him by his first grade teacher, saying how he’d gotten a detention for writing profanity on the desk, she’d had a look of anger and disappointment in her eyes. He really didn’t want to see his momma’s beautiful greenish-blue eyes refill with that evil.  
“Now, Lincoln… Though what you did today really disappoints me, I can’t stay angry at you. I know you’re a good boy, and I know you won’t do it again. Am I correct?” Her son looked up, unsure if that meant he was off the hook or not. “Correct ma’am. I promise not to act up ever again in my entire life, or may the Lord send lightning my way.” He placed a hand over his heart, signalling that he really meant his promise. “Good.” She nodded, standing back up and walking to the stove. “Now go clean up and tell your brothers and sister that the food is ready.” He stood up and obeyed, but stopped at the archway connecting the kitchen to the hallway. “She’s not my sister. She’s my evil evil step-sister who’s mean to me. And they’re not my brothers.They’re my slightly less-mean step-brothers.” He let out another giant huff before walking down the hall to their rooms. His mother, Sue, let out a large sigh. She hated to see her husband’s kids not get along with her only son. She absolutely loved Jimmy, her husband, but she had to admit that his kids were a bit too rude to Lincoln. All four of them, Jimmy and his three kids, were alphas. This meant that the three kids liked to treat Lincoln as if he were inferior, and thought that they had the right to boss him around. Sue really wanted to change this, but she had no say. Her alpha was the one home with the four kids more often, which (in their house) meant that he made the rules.

Link raced down the short hall, quickly turning into his brothers’ room. As he ran in, he accidentally bumped into Jimmy’s gigantic legs, sending the adult into a lunge forward, and sending the small child back onto his back. “Oh… I-I-I… I’m so sorry, Jimmy!” Link quickly bowed his head low, and scrambled to his feet as the two boys, Jonathan and Jason, started laughing. “Boy!” Jimmy sharply turned around and stared his beady brown eyes down at the small omega boy. “How many goddamn times have I told you to watch where you’re goin?!” He seized Link’s brown locks in his hands and pulled his head up by his hair. “M-m-many times, sir!” His big blue eyes had immediately filled with tears. “Room. Now.” He released Link’s hair and pushed him towards the door to his small room. Link yelped silently, knowing the rules to his punishment. “You get what you deserve, and if you make any noise that allows your mom to hear what’s happening, you get an extra beating.” The words echoed in his head as he shuffled into his room. Jimmy was right behind him, gently closing the door, making sure not to make a single noise. It was a small house, which meant that noise traveled quick. 

Jimmy went in the small closet, barely any smaller than Lincoln’s room, and grabbed one of Link’s hard leather belts. He wrapped part of the belt around his large hairy fist until it formed a venomous loop. Link had already bent over the dirty mattress, knowing exactly what he’d get for being stupid. The cold leather of the thick belt quickly came down on his sensitive skin, instantly sending a hot searing pain throughout his back and into his entire body. At this moment, Link was silently sobbing into his hands. One wrath after the other, Link counted each searing burn in his back until he had gotten to ten. With that, Jimmy calmly put the belt back in the closet, muttered “You fuckin stupid omega bitch,” and walked back out of the room. 

Link crawled up into his bed and pulled his quilt over his body. He grabbed his thin pillow, (his “siblings” took all of the good ones. Even the pillow that his grandma made for him.), and started to sob into the material. His back was aching and burning. He was almost convinced that one spot was even scraped up and bleeding,but he couldn’t ask his mom for some ointment, because she’d find out. If momma found out, Link would be punished even more, way more than usual is what Jimmy told him. 

He stared at the white wall next to him, wondering how and why he had gotten there. Sue married Jimmy when he was five years old, and Sue divorced his father when he was two. During that three year stretch of time, his mother had bought a trailer next to his grandparents’ house. While she lived in the dingy old trailer, Link got to live in a huge room with a big mattress and television set. He had tons of quilts and fuzzy blankets on his bed, accompanied by thick heavy pillows that he’d cuddle up to every night. His Nana (what he called his grandmothers on both sides) had even made him stuffed animals to sleep with on his bed. His favorite stuffed animal was a tiny rabbit that he called ‘Bunny’. Ever since he was a baby, he’d keep that thing at his side twenty-four seven. Life at Nana’s house was fantastic. He was the happiest child on the planet, but then Jimmy stepped into his life and sent his world crashing down around him. 

Two hours passed before anyone even came in his room to say anything. Link was done crying by the time his mother came into his room with a bowl of chicken and dumplings. “Jimmy told me you weren’t hungry earlier. Are you okay, honey? Feelin’ alright?” Sue set down the bowl and the glass of Kool-Aid, before sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing Link’s back. He woke up from his light nap when he felt the pain his back being touched. “Huh?” He turned around, the corners of his mouth barely turning up into a smile.of “Oh. Yeah. I’m starved. I just had a bit of a belly ache earlier, but I’m good now, momma.” He was used to Jimmy’s lies. Whenever Link got punished, he wasn’t presentable. So, Jimmy would tell his mother things like, “Oh. He’s feeling under the weather,” or things like, “He actually just ate. I took him to the park and we grabbed a bite to eat.” Link slowly sat up and reached for the bowl. “Thank you, momma.” She stuck her nimble fingers out to lift up his chin. Her soft blue eyes scanned over his. “Your eyes are red, honey. Have you been cryin?” His brown locks quickly swished side to side as he shook his head. “I got dust in my eye when I was tryin to find my crayons in the closet.” Completely oblivious due to Link’s acting skills, Sue nodded and stood back up. “After you eat, I want to hear more about your first day, okay?” The brunet nodded, already shoveling a bite in. “How about you and I go get some ice cream and go to the park?” Link’s eyes instantly lit up. “Really? Really, Momma? Really?” He asked, voice just dripping excitement. “Of course, baby. Anything for my little angel.” She took her apron and dabbed some juice off of Link’s chin. “I’ll be in the kitchen cleanin’ up.” With that, she gave him one more smile before returning to what Jimmy would’ve called “an omega’s rightful place.”

After finishing up his dinner and helping his mom clean the kitchen, the two put on their walking shoes and left for the local ice cream parlor. Link, after confirming it with his mother, got two scoops of vanilla instead of one, whilst Sue got one small scoop of strawberry ice cream. They walked a few streets down to a small park by the Buies creek, and took a seat on the bench. The two sat there in silence for a moment, enjoying the warm breeze blowing in. Each breeze brought wonderful scents of freshly mowed grass and lavender. “So, tell me about your day.” She asked, watching some children play fetch with a large golden retriever. Link shoveled some ice cream in his mouth. “Well-” he said with a mouthful of dessert, being quickly cut off by his mother. “Don’t chew with your mouth full, Charles. It’s not polite.” He nodded, knowing his mom meant business when she called him Charles in a scolding voice. After swallowing, he began again. “Taking the bus was okay- like last year, but I didn’t really know who to talk to, so I just kind of sat there. And when I got to school, a big kid named Joe helped me find Miss Locklear’s class. When I got there. I reunited with some of the kids from Kindergarten, but we had a few new kids in my class! So during class, Andrew was pressuring me and a new kid, Rhett, to draw naughty words on the desk. So we did. And when Miss Locklear called us out, everyone was all like ‘Oooo! Bad kids!’ and I thought I was gonna cry. She made us stay in from recess. I thought she’d make us clean the room or write ‘I will not do it again’ on the board one hundred times like Jonathan said happened to him once, but guess what she had us do?” Sue looked down at him with admiring eyes. She loved how an innocent child can just ramble for days. “What happened, Angel?” Link’s eyes sparkled again. “Rhett and I had to color mythical beasts like unicorns and this weird thing called a hydra. Rhett was so funny. Miss Locklear allowed us to talk while we colored, and Rhett kept making me laugh. He also is so nice. I really like him. He’s my new best friend… But on the bus home…” Link’s spritely eyes suddenly grew sad. “On the bus home… I told Jason about Rhett, but Jason said that the McLaughlin brothers are alphas so I’m not allowed to be Rhett’s friend…” He set his barely-eaten ice cream to the side. He could never eat when his anxiety started to act up. “Which isn’t good, because I really wanted to be Rhett’s friend…” Link started crying and crawled into his mom’s lap. “I just want friends…” Sue let out a sad sigh and held Link to her chest. “Jason doesn’t know anything. Of course you’re allowed to be friends with an alpha. Alpha and omega doesn’t mean anything when it comes to friendships.” Link kept crying, but nodded his head slowly. Sue sat there, just holding her baby boy in her arms until he stopped crying. “Wanna finish your ice cream and go cuddle in bed?” The brunet nodded and moved slowly to grab his ice cream and stand up. “Eat and walk. I’m gettin cold.” Sue smiled softly and held his hand. “Yes, sir.” 

After completing his conversation about his day at school, the two had returned home. His step-siblings were racing around on their bikes, and Jimmy was working on the family car. He smiled sweetly when he saw Sue approach. “There’s the light of my life.” She giggled as Jimmy threw his dirty cloth over his shoulder, and picked Sue up, pressing kisses to her face. Once he set her down, he gave a small nod towards Link. “Aye buddy…” He gave a forced smile as he vigorously ruffed up his hair. “H-hi Jimmy.” He stuttered before quickly escaping to the screen door. Sue shook her head at the fact that her son always refused to connect with Jimmy. “Sorry. He’s shy....” Jimmy let out a laugh before kissing the top of her head. “It’s fine. He’s a cute kid.” She nodded and pecked his lips. “He’s my little angel... We’ll be inside. He’s had an exhaustin day from school and walkin. I’m gonna get him ready for bed and lay with him.” She rubbed Jim’s back. “Alright, darlin.” He smiled before going back to working on the car. 

After brushing his teeth and changing into a pair of old, hand-me-down pajamas, he crawled into his bed with his mom. Sue grabbed a book and pulled Link into her arms. She pulled the quilt up around the two of them, and read him “Goodnight Moon”. The brunette started to sing bible hymns to him until her boy fell asleep.

The next morning quickly came around. Sue had woken up at six in the morning, and started to make eggs and bacon for all of the kids. Link had gotten up as well, smelling the alluring aroma of bacon in the morning. He changed into a pair of old tattered jeans and a long, handed down shirt that used to belong to Jason. He combed his hair and wandered down the hall to the kitchen.  
“Mornin, sunshine.” Sue smiled, pulling the small brunet into her arms. “Did you sleep well?” The brunet nodded slowly, hanging on tightly to his mother. “Yes, ma’am.”   
“Then why are you holding me so tight? I can’t breathe.” She chuckled softly and lifted him up on to the counter. He shrugged his shoulders and kicked his legs. “I missed you…” She chuckled softly and kissed the top of his head. “I missed you too, darlin. What’s up with you? You never act this way.” The child slowly shrugged his shoulders, avoiding eye contact with his mother. “My back hurts…” He mumbled quietly, trying to make sure that the head alpha didn’t hear him. However, he failed greatly when Jimmy came strolling into the kitchen. “Why’s that, sweetheart?” Sue asked, now back to cooking the scrambled eggs. “Yes… Why is that, Charles?” Jimmy asked, glaring his beady eyes at the small omega while Sue had her back turned. A tiny whimper escaped Link’s throat. He hopped off of the counter and quickly scampered out of the kitchen. Sue turned just in time to watch Link flee right before her eyes. She let out a large and exasperated sigh, putting her head in her hands. “I failed with him, Jimmy. He’s so timid, and anxious. He wouldn’t be like this if I’d ask my mother for money to get him a psychiatrist or a therapist. Something!” She let out a small sob. Jimmy quickly turned off the stove and wrapped his arms around her. “You didn’t fail with him. He failed you…” Sue looked up, slightly offended. “What are you talking about? He’s only six years old! He’d never fail me. I’m the adult here. I’m his mother! My child needs help, and I can’t make enough money to get him the help that he needs!” She was a sobbing wreck by now, having a complete meltdown in the kitchen. Her alpha was starting to look very annoyed. “I think you need to stop worrying about him and finish making me breakfast. He’s a fuck-up. That’s his fault. Not yours.” With that, he let go of his crying omega, and left to go back into his room. Link had been standing in the living room, listening to everything. He sunk down onto the tattered couch, and snuggled up to the family cat. “I’m a fuck up, aren’t I?” He mumbled to the small black kitten. “I don’t even know what that means, but I know that fuck is a bad word.” He let out a small puff of air and waited for his mother to call everyone to breakfast.

Twenty minutes later, the family gathered around the kitchen table, saying a prayer before eating. Everyone dug in, all four alphas eating ninety-eight percent of the food, leaving Sue and Link with slim pickings. Sue didn’t notice, considering she never ate more than a small serving, knowing that Jimmy liked her looking her best. Link, however, knew that half a piece of bacon and a tablespoon of scrambled eggs was nothing. Nevertheless, Link couldn’t speak up about the matter. He’d be shunned or punished or both. So, he ate his slim-pickings, grabbed his backpack and lunch pail, and followed his siblings to the bus stop. All three of them gladly ignored the small omega boy. He was nothing to him, except a piece of trash to be littered in the streets. Link knew that they couldn’t care less about him or whatever would happen to him. He could be kidnapped right there and then, and the three kids would go to school like nothing happened. Link knew that, and it hurt immensely. But… What else could he possibly do? He would never put his needs before his mother’s. Sue was beyond happy with Jimmy. They met years ago, and were high school sweethearts. His mother even told him that she thought it was true love. She dearly and deeply loved Jimmy. Why was Link going to sacrifice her happiness for his own? He wouldn’t. Link wasn’t that type of a person. He’d always put others before him. Maybe it was his internal omega instinct, or maybe it was just his own personality. He honestly didn’t know. 

The short brunet climbed into the old yellow school bus, and started his journey to school. School was the only place where he was ever truly happy, well, other than his dad’s house, whom he saw every other weekend. The bus ride was typical. He sat in a seat completely alone, his attention drawn completely to the window where he watched the wilderness pass by in it’s full glory. Sometimes he’d daydream about being a warrior, running through the woods, tracking down the beautiful princess. Unicorns and satyrs would gallop by, bowing down to the ancient warrior- the savior of their forest… His thoughts were always disturbed by the bus pulling into the small lot that was Buies Creek Elementary. Everyone piled out of the bus, rushing through the double doors that led into the castle of education. Link followed the tidal wave of children, watching everyone else file into their classes. Lincoln turned into his new classroom’s door, and grinned when he saw the blond boy sitting at one of the round tables in the class. He chucked his lunch pail into the box labelled ‘Locklear Lunches’, and rushed over to where his friend was sitting. “Hey Rhett!” Link grinned with enthusiasm and excitement. Rhett’s green eyes instantly lit up at the sight of Link. “Hey! Guess what!” He jumped up, grabbing Link’s arms. “What is it? Tell me!” Rhett giggled and pointed to the name tags on the table. “Miss Locklear gave us assigned seats and look!” He pointed to two name tags closely tapped on the table. One read ‘Rhett McLaughlin’, and the other read ‘Charles Neal’. Link gasped, looking at Miss Locklear and then at Rhett. “She put us together?! Even after what happened yesterday?” The blond nodded excitedly. “I know, right? Isn’t it great?” Without thinking any further, Link set down his book bag on the cold wooden chair and ran to Miss Locklear. He clung to her legs in an attempt to embrace her. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!” Link giggled. The teacher smiled and pat his head. “You’re very welcome, Lincoln. As long as you two behave, I’d love to have y’all sitting together.” Link giggled some more and let go of her legs. He ran back to his desk and sat down, completely ready to learn and comprehend.


	3. Some Preteens Really Do Have Problems...

Seven years had passed since Link had been sitting in Miss Locklear’s first grade classroom with his new friend. A lot had happened since then. Link had went through puberty, losing all of his baby weight, and becoming a very attractive eighth grader. All of the women were all over him. Beta girls. Omega girls. There were no alpha girls at his school. It didn’t matter. All the females wanted to date him. He had had his first girlfriend, Leslie… Also Rhett’s first girlfriend… And he had had his first kiss with Amber… Also Rhett’s first kiss.. It was a confusing concept, but in a small town like Buies Creek, it wasn’t unusual to date the same people and kiss the same people. Greg had also dated Leslie, but then again, Leslie really got around in sixth grade.

Another exciting thing had happened to them. Rhett and Link had became blood brothers, technically. They had made a blood oath in a cow field. They sat on a rock, promised to always pursue the same things and stay together for life, cut the palm of their hands, and bled onto a piece of paper. Just normal kid stuff, right? Totally right. 

Now they were thirteen. They made it into their teens. Though technically teenagers, Rhett’s older brother, Cole, still liked to piss Rhett off by calling him a preteen. Rhett would chase after him with a shoe yelling, “I went through puberty! I’m six foot six! Call me a preteen again, and I’ll kick your ass so hard, you’ll be able to taste your shit in the back of your throat for weeks!” Of course, he only yelled those sort of things when his parents were out of the house. Rhett came from a very conservative and religious family, much like every family in the south. His dad would have him locked away at bootcamp for saying something like that. 

During the past seven years, due to Rhett being a very tall kid, his father had gotten him into basketball. Saying “gotten him into basketball” would’ve been a bit too light. Rhett was forced into a career in basketball. His father really wanted at least one of his kids to be a professional basketball player, and Rhett was slightly better than Cole. Due to his greatness in the sport, Rhett’s father forced him to do basketball drills for hours after school. He’d get home, do homework, have a snack, and then have to go outside and do basketball drills until the sun set in the horizon. Then he’d have to eat dinner, freshen up, and maybe hang out with Link. That was one thing that he hated about growing up and having responsibilities. He could never hang out with Link. They were always put in different classes with different people. After school, Rhett was too busy with basketball and homework to hang out with Link. At least the brunet always seemed fine with it. He was always at home, saying how he had to help his mom and step-dad. His other step siblings had moved out with their mother, except Emmy who lived with them. Rhett never understood Link and his relationship with his step-family and the house. He always seemed really eager to leave the house, but then he’d talk to his step-dad and suddenly want to stay home. Rhett thought it was peculiar, but he didn’t want to be nosy. 

Another thing that bothered Rhett was having a best friend who was an omega. It sucked, because for an entire week Link would have to disappear due to his heat. His family couldn’t afford scent blockers, so every month for a week, he’d get all of his assignments and stay home. Rhett didn’t understand how he was allowed to be home with two alphas, but he figured that the alphas either weren’t affected, or they disappeared too. Whatever happened, it really sucked to have to go a week without his best friend, but he knew it was for the best. He really didn’t want to have the urge to stick anything into his best friend. Link was more of a brother than a lover.

One night, Rhett had been sitting on the couch in the living room when a frantic and loud knock sounded on the front door. He quickly muted the television to see if he could hear who was behind the door. However, he didn’t need to hear or see to know who it was. He could smell the familiar scent of his best friend wafting through the door, but this time he smelled different… Not heat-different, but scared and frightened. Rhett quickly bolted up from the couch and basically threw the door open. He was absolutely shocked and horrified at what met him at the door. His usually upbeat friend was looking more beat than upbeat… He stood covered in dark purple bruises, cuts, blood, and a black eye. All of a sudden, Rhett felt something wash over him: a sense of pure anger and the devotion to protect Link no matter what. “Who the hell did this to you? I’ll tear him to shreds.” He was growling lowly, sending chills over the omega at the door. “Pl-please… J-just… I need to come in…” Link was already pushing his way in, limping up the stairs as if his life depended on it. Rhett quickly looked out the door and back at Link. “What the actual fuck, Neal?” He slammed the door shut and locked it up before bolting after him. Link limped to Rhett’s room and collapsed onto the blond man’s bed. Loud sobbing and heaving quickly filled the room. The large alpha standing at the door went from angered to worried. “Oh, Link…” He teared up as well and sat down on the edge of his bed. “I need to know what happened to you, Link. Right now.” The tattered face of his friend slowly turned to face him. “I… I should’ve told you about this years ago, but I never knew how to bring it up.” He sniffled before taking Rhett’s hand in his own. “It was Jimmy, Rhett. He did this… And he’s…” He stopped to both sob and have a coughing fit. Rhett’s other hand had seized a fistful of bed sheets. “I’ll break him. I’ll kill him!-” Rhett snapped, but was cut off by Link. “He’s been abusing me since he moved in when I was five, but I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t! I was scared he’d hurt my mom! I couldn’t risk it, Rhett!” He stopped for more sobbing, heaving, and coughing. Rhett knew by now to shut up and listen to Link’s story. After more gasping, he continued. “Today’s been the worst it’s ever been… He… He told me to… Oh god!” Link grabbed his stomach quickly, and Rhett lunged for the garbage can, literally forcing it in front of Link. He grabbed it in his bruised up arm, and started to vomit blood violently into the trashcan. “He-... He wanted me to…” Link took his time to collect himself, and Rhett knew not to rush him. “He wanted me to suck him off, Rhett!” Again, Rhett grabbed the bed sheets, starting to tear them due to the impact of his grip and nails. But he knew not to interrupt, and let Link continue. "I told him no. I grabbed the phone and dialed mom, but he took it from me and hung up. After that he… He forced me onto his knees and pulled down his pants… As I tried to crawl away, he started kicking me in the sides.” Link pulled up his shirt, revealing awful gigantic bruises. “Then he pulled me back up, called me a disobedient omega, told me to obey or else it would get worse… I said no, Rhett… I said no so…” Again, he started to projectile vomit into the trash can. “ He took ropes from the garage and tied me to the bed…” Rhett was about to jump up and tear Jimmy to shreds. “And he… He found a knife from the kitchen and started cutting me every where.” Now Link was removing clothing left and right, showing gashes all over his body, head to toe, gushing blood. “Then… He started to break my leg… He stood on it, jumped on it, pulled it, smashed it… Until… It’s broken now, Rhett…” Suddenly there was a large crash downstairs. Rhett immediately jumped up and grabbed a baseball bat. “He’s dying right now.” He growled, storming out. Link let out a large pleading whine, not wanting the alpha to be mauled by the other. Link immediately got up and dialed Mamma Di’s number (Rhett’s mother).   
“Yes, Rhett?” She answered on the other line.  
“Please, Mamma. I need an ambulance and the police to your house.” Link cried into the phone as a crash happened down the steps. Diane instantly knew it was Link and he meant every word he said.  
“What’s happening, Lincoln? Tell me!”   
Link just let out a loud whine as he saw Jimmy clambering up the stairs, obviously well beat up by Rhett. “NOW MAMMA PLEASE!” Link screamed into the phone before hanging up just as Jimmy had seized his arm. He pulled Link into his arms, shoving the smaller omega into the wall. “What did you say on the phone, you disgusting fuck-up?” He hissed into the brunet’s ear, causing him to gag. “Nothin!” He squeaked, barely able to talk. “I’ve had it with you, and your disgusting omega body. Your disgusting face. I’ve had it with you.” He hissed louder, carrying Link over to the stairs. Police sirens were already echoing down the street. “Called the cops you little fuck? Huh? HUH?” He screamed, holding Link over the guardrail. “Y-yes I did!” He screamed, hoping the police would show up already. “Stupid fucking omega!” Jimmy growled, letting go of Link and watching him fall ten feet to the floor with a thud. That’s all Link could remember as his world blacked out.


	4. Reawakening

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Diane. I really don’t.” Sue sat in her son’s hospital room, crying into her hands. In the bed before her laid her only son, broken and tattered. Her only baby boy was on life support, fighting for his life and she couldn’t do anything. It didn’t help that she had absolutely no money or insurance to pay for his hospital bills. That was one of the things that she was crying about to Diane McLaughlin who had been holding her and rubbing her back. 

“I’ll pay for his bills, Sue. I’ll do whatever it takes. Link is my son, too, you know. He means the world to me, and I’d do anything to help keep him safe and healthy.” Mamma Di looked over at Rhett who was sitting right next to the bed, Link’s hand in his. She didn’t think that Rhett understood that Link was in a coma. He kept trying to talk to the brunet, trying to wake him up, but it never worked. Link’s body was currently beyond damaged. He had a concussion, fractured skull, six broken ribs, a broken arm, a broken leg, a sprained ankle, a dislocated shoulder, and internal bleeding everywhere. He was in so much pain, that his body just gave up and shutdown to heal. No one knew when he’d wake up, but everyone hoped it would be soon. In the meantime, Diane needed to figure out how to convince Sue to let her pay the hospital bills. Sue was broke. She barely had a penny to her name. However, Diane had a fair share of money. Her and her husband, James, were always blessed with wealth. He was a law professor at Campbell University, and Diane worked on and off at the university as well. The money was always rolling in, and she was thankful for that. Sue barely made it day-to-day working as an EMT. It didn’t help that Jimmy didn’t work, and when he did, he spent his money on alcohol. The least Mamma Di could do was pay his hospital bills, but she knew that Sue wouldn’t approve of that plan. Pride was everything in that town, and having someone else pay for your child’s medical bills was pretty shameful. It basically yelled to everyone, “I’m a failure who can’t even keep her own kid healthy and safe!” 

Sue let out an ear-piercing sob, causing Rhett to cringe and squeeze Link’s hand in his own. “I… I’m gonna have to call my parents…” Without thinking about the thought any longer, Sue got up from her chair and left to find a phone. Diane got up from her chair and walked over to Rhett, resting her hand on his shoulder. “He’ll be alright, Rhett. I promise.” She gently kissed his forehead and then Link’s. “I’m gonna go talk to your father about Link and the bills, okay?” Rhett nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of the omega. He vowed to protect Link from that day on. The moment that Jimmy was shoved into that police car, and he had gotten out of the locked closet, he vowed that Link was his to protect, and he’d destroy anyone who would ever dare to touch him. That was also the moment that he realized maybe his feelings for Link were not so brotherly…

Rhett sat there, rubbing his thumb into the back of Link’s hand. He counted every minute that went by, counting his minutes until Link would wake up. His father, James, walked in and sat down next to Rhett. “How’s he doin, son?” He looked at Link, becoming instantly sick to his stomach. How could this have happened to such a sweet kid? 

The blond just shrugged his shoulders. “The same as when he got here. Comatosed and broken.” James looked at the two holding hands, feeling uneasy about that.

Even though genders were basically a joke, the south still had trouble letting go of their old morals. Two “men” together was still disgusting, and it was still a gigantic sin to them.

“Don’t worry, dad. I’m just worried. I don’t actually like him like that…” Rhett could feel the judgement radiating off of his father’s face. Although, it was a lie. He wanted to hold Link’s hand and kiss him. Link was his omega, and no one else was allowed to have him.

“Good…” He grumbled softly, fidgeting with a chord on the table. He wouldn’t have ever been able to live with himself if his son was gay. “I heard they’re lockin’ Jimmy up for over twenty years…” James had attempted to make small talk, even though Rhett obviously didn’t feel up for talking. “So that’s good…” He mumbled before the silence of the room enveloped around them. The only noise in the room was the EKG beeping, proving that Link was still alive. 

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Diane and Sue came back in with a stack of paperwork. Link’s mother looked obviously annoyed. Rhett deduced that she lost the debate, and his parents would be paying for Link’s hospital bills. Rhett knew that his parents really didn’t mind paying the hospital bills. Link was family to them. He’d always be a family member to the McLaughlins, even if they had some sort of a fallout in the future. The McLaughlins saw or spoke to Link almost daily, and he knew that his mom thought of Link as her other son. She absolutely adored Link. Diane had always wanted a daughter or an omega, but she had two alpha boys. Of course that was fine with her. She loved her children. Having Link around, however, filled that void in her heart. She had two wonderful alpha sons, and a wonderful omega son. One time, Rhett had even come home after basketball practice, and saw Link and his mom sitting on the couch watching soap operas together. Not that all omegas typically were girly and watched things like that, but Link was a bit feminine and got along with the ladies. He was into chick-flicks and cheesy romantic comedies. That was just Link. He couldn’t hit a baseball, but he could French braid hair. Link was a good runner, though. He should’ve been in cross-country, but instead he was on the soccer team. Rhett didn’t really bother going to his soccer games anymore, considering Link was benched literally every game. He knew he’d go more often in high school when sporting events would be more important and exciting. Rhett used to be on the soccer team in sixth grade, but he gave that up to focus on basketball and baseball. He wasn’t too into baseball, but he wanted a sport to do in the spring. Basketball pretty much went from the beginning of school to the end of the winter. Baseball just went from spring to the beginning of summer.

After signing multiple papers and talking to multiple people, it was time for everyone to go home. The doctors said that Link would be fine overnight. His health was improving, and he’d get taken off of life support very shortly. This was, of course, fantastic news to everyone there. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, and Link was improving significantly. Sue also needed to leave the hospital, because Link’s father and her ex-husband, Charles, was stopping by to visit his son. Sue didn’t want to be anywhere near the hospital while he was in town. 

Their marriage didn’t really end on good terms. She never even knew why she fell in love with him. He was a nice guy, but they just never connected. They got in arguments all the time over things. He wanted two kids, but she only wanted one. He wanted to get a bigger house, but Sue told him no due to the lack of funds. They always argued over the most stupid and small things, that she just had to end it. They divorced, dissolved the bond, and the rest was history.

It took three days for Link to finally wake up, and when he did, he got to open his eyes to see Rhett. The blond grinned widely and called the doctor in as his friend’s drowsy blue eyes started to peek from behind his eyelids. Link looked around, thinking he was locked up in Jimmy’s lair or something weird like that. His whole body relaxed when he saw Rhett and the hospital room. “Oh thank God.” He let out a large sigh of relief, causing his body to ache. Rhett quickly looked out the door, down the hall, and around the room, before he slammed the door shut. He ran over to Link’s bed and pulled him into a gentle, loving kiss. Link was taken off-guard, but he quickly melted into the kiss: a kiss he had been waiting for for years. His heart started to beat faster (the EKG could prove that it was, considering it was beeping quite quickly). He brought up his good arm and cupped Rhett’s cheek. He could feel his whole body just lighting up and filling with joy. He had known for years that Rhett was his alpha: the one he was meant to be with, but it was the south, so he knew he couldn’t. Link quickly pulled away as the door started to open. He acted as if nothing had happened as the doctor walked towards him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this fic may seem like it's moving fast, but it's supposed to. This is supposed to be an adult RandL fic. I'm just trying to feed y'all their past before we get into it. Plus, if I must be honest, I had no inspiration to write this chapter, but I had to provide answers to the last chapter.


	5. So This Is Love!

Link thought from the first day of his summer break that it was going to suck. His best friend was going to be gone all three months in Slovakia. Whenever Link asked him why Slovakia, Rhett just told him ‘why not’, and dropped the conversation there. Link was a bit suspicious that his father, James, had something to do with it. Rhett and Link had been seeing each other in privacy all through high school. Dinner dates at home, making out in bed while everyone else was asleep, getting each other off, etc. It never got as far as sex, considering they both believed that actual sex should wait for marriage. Plus, if Rhett bought condoms, someone at a shop would know and tell his parents. That was the awful thing about living in a small town: do something weird and everyone knew. 

It didn’t matter if James thought that they were up to something, because Rhett had cut it all off. Link thought they were absolutely in love, but after the first year in college at North Carolina State, something changed. Rhett said they could never be together, because they both had penises, and that was it. Link didn’t argue. Link knew not to say anything. Rhett was correct, and Link wasn’t going to fight for a relationship that would never actually happen. So, maybe Slovakia would be good for the both of them. They would need their three months of space to forget that that relationship ever happened. Link could, maybe, move on. 

He really didn’t have his mind set on moving on as he went to the Lillington roller rink with his friend named Greg. The two were back in Lillington for the summer, both staying with their parents. They were only juniors in college. Having an apartment or house wasn’t necessary. After a few boring, uneventful, quiet nights in Lillington, the two decided they’d meet up at the roller rink. (Also known as: The place where people used to go to have fun, because the internet barely existed for entertainment.) Link was basically a pro-roller-skater. Him and Rhett had gone for years. They even had this special move where Link used to skate between Rhett’s legs, since Link was a small child and Rhett was a giant child. The kids there thought they were so cool with that move. However, now “Let me skate between your legs,” was more of a pick-up line.

Link picked up his skates and headed to the benches to put them on. When he reached the small section of metallic benches, there was only one person there, which was odd considering the place was packed. Link smiled, ready to talk to the silhouette. He was a people person. As he approached, his heart almost stopped. Sitting there was the most beautiful and stunning woman he had ever seen in his life. She had gorgeous blonde hair that came right below her shoulders. She was wearing waist-high shorts that stopped mid-thigh, a simple light blue tank top, and high tops. She was stunning. Link had to know her name. 

The brunet omega slowly approached her, stopping just in front of her and sitting a healthy foot apart from her. As the music quieted down, he looked up at her. “Hey!” He spoke, making sure he was loud enough to be heard. The blonde looked up from the floor and made eye contact with him before blushing immensely. “H-hey!” She stuttered, obviously anxious to talk to the strange man. “My name’s Link. I couldn’t help to see you sitting here all alone.” Much to Link’s luck, the music remained quiet. “I’m Christy. It’s nice to meet you Link.” Link did a little bow, causing the girl to laugh. “So, why are you sitting here all alone in your skates?” Link questioned, trying to make small talk. “Actually, I’m here with a few friends but…” She blushed again and looked at the rink. “I have no idea how to skate, and I don’t want to embarrass myself out there.” This only gave Link the most brilliant idea to get to know Christy. “Well you’re in the right hands! I’m an excellent skater. I could teach you! I promise not to let you fall.” Christy smiled, yet Link could tell that she was still scared and anxious. “Hey…” He slowly reached for her hand. “I promise you can trust me. If we get out there and you still don’t like it, I’ll help you back to here.” Christy let out a shaky sigh, but nodded her head. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” The two laughed, and Link put his skates on. He stood up and took her hand in his again. “If you feel like falling, just grab on to me. I won’t mind.” She nodded nervously as the two skated at a toddler pace to the floor. People skated by, despite the song being a slower pace. “The pros stick to the middle, so we can stick to the railing.” Link slowly took her close to the wall, not letting go of her hand. “The key is to trust your balance and go with the skates.” Christy was a blushing, smiling mess. She quickly looked over her shoulder to find her friends. The group of girls were in a corner of the rink, dancing in a circle to a song. The two slowly skated around the ring. “So, how old are you?” She asked, not taking her eyes off of her feet. “I just turned twenty in June. What about you?” ‘Please don’t say sixteen or seventeen’, he thought to himself, even though she looked at least eighteen. “I actually just turned twenty as well. In May.” Link immediately let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God. I thought you were going to be like sixteen, with my luck…” Christy giggled cutely, absolutely causing Link’s heart to stop. He barely knew her, but he knew that she was perfect, and she was his everything. “Were you scared that you totally hit on a teenager?” Link gasped playfully. “I am not hitting on you!” He totally was. “You totally are, Link.” She giggled again. Link wasn’t sure that his heart could take her cuteness anymore. “Is it bad? Would you like me to leave you alone?” Link was scared, thinking his cover was blown, and that she wasn’t interested in him like that. “A cute boy like you? Heck no. I’m not letting go of you tonight. Literally.” Link felt his heart actually stop right then. She thought he was cute?! He honestly couldn’t believe that. “Scared your friends will steal me away from you?” He tried his best to hide his dying insides with humor. “I’ll fight them to keep you tonight. You seem really nice and sweet. I haven’t met a guy like that in ages.” She stumbled on the rink, almost falling down. Luckily, Link dove down and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve got you. It’s alright.” Christy blushed again, looking into Link’s eyes. “How did you do that?” She was absolutely shocked that he dove and caught her on skates. “I told you I’m a skating pro!” The blonde giggled, still tightly holding onto both of Link’s arms. “Do you think we could leave and go grab a bite to eat? I’ll pay.” She yelled over the new loud burst of music. “Are you kidding? I’m starving. Plus, I’m paying at least half, or else I’ll have to treat you to another date, all on me.” Christy grinned and let go of one arm to hold back on to the railing. “Is that true?” Link smiled, holding her hand and skating her back to the entrance of the rink. “Yes it is. Why?” Christy sat down on the bench and pulled both skates off. “Cause if so, I’m paying for this date, and you can pay for the next.” The brunet laughed loudly, doing the same. “You have yourself a deal.” Link held her hand again, despite not being on skates, walking her towards his car. “Plus, I’m paying for this date in return for you teaching me how to skate.” Link scoffed, obviously joking considering he laughed right after he did it. “I barely taught you anything.” Christy just shrugged her shoulders. “But you caught me from falling, and I think you’re pretty cute.” Link turned to face her, analyzing her facial features. “I think you’re absolutely beautiful and breath-taking. Way too good for me.” Christy just tilted her head back and laughed. “Me? Too good for you? You’re too nice, Link.” Link approached his truck and unlocked the doors with his keys. “Southern hospitality?” He answered with a question, not necessarily sure why he was “too nice”. “I’ve met lots of guys,” she slid in, “and they’ve all been awful.” Link closed the door for her and got in on the driver’s side. “Rude guys are drawn to beautiful women. Us nice guys are drawn as well, but we have to stay our distance since we know that nice guys finish last.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “That’s not true. I hate those rude guys. I try to steer clear of them.” Link started up his truck and pulled out of the lot. “Well you’re in the right hands. I’m too unpopular to be rude. Well, I had friends. A lot of them, but I wasn’t like… You know. The kind of guy to be with ladies left and right, and sleeping with people. I had three or four girlfriends in high school, and none so far in college.” Christy nodded, looking out the window. “I was the same. I had a few boyfriends, but none in college. Mainly because I go to an all girl’s school called. Meredith College.” Link gasped and looked at her for a moment. “You go to Meredith?! That’s literally right down the road from North Carolina State!” Link looked at her with pure glee. He had feared that she went to a far away college, and that their little fling would turn into an “only summer” kind of thing. Christy had that same exact look of glee on her face. She had thought the same exact thing as Link, thinking it would be a “three month relationship and done” situation. “That’s crazy!” Christy gasped, shaking her head side to side. “Literally the craziest.” Link chimed in.

They soon pulled into the parking lot of a small empty diner. “This is my favorite diner!” They both exclaimed in enthusiasm at the exact same point in time. Both heads turned to look at each other in amazement. “Let’s just get married right now.” Link joked as he unlocked the door. “I’ll go grab my wedding dress.” She retorted back to him before laughing. 

The two walked in, sat down at their table, and ordered their food. “So what did you do to get sent to an all girls school?” Link joked, taking a sip of iced tea. “My dad doesn’t want me to,” she used air quotes, “get distracted by boys.” Christy rolled her eyes just thinking about it. She’d never put aside learning for some stupid man. “But I love him, so I said yes. I would’ve much rather preferred NC State. I wanted the big college experience, but instead I’m in a decent sized private college.” Link just shrugged his shoulders and played with the straw wrapper. “It’s not so exciting. Especially if you’re like me. I’m too worried about finishing homework and studying to even go close to attending some huge party. Plus, I’m not in any clubs or academics due to my commitment to achieving straight A’s in college.” Christy let out a hiss like, ‘dang that’s tough’. “All straight A’s? That’s quite somethin’ alright. What are you studying to be?”   
“Nothin special. Just industrial engineering. Extremely boring, but I was told that most jobs for people with my degree pay well.” Christy nodded and took a sip of her tea. “Do you care more about the money than the actual job?” Link just blushed and nodded. “All my life my family has struggled with money, so I’ve always just wanted to gain more wealth. I know. One of the sins is greed. I can’t help it. I just want what’s best for my future family, you know? I don’t want my future kids to be worrying about if they’ll have something to eat every day like I went through sometimes… I don’t know…” He mumbled the last bit, not daring to look at Christy, fearing he’d be judged. “That’s gotta be one of the sweetest things that I’ve ever heard a man say.” Link looked up in total surprise. When he met her eyes, they didn’t seem to have any hint of a lie in them. “I’ve never met a young man who thinks about his future family this early in life. That’s amazing, Link. Never be ashamed of that.” Link smiled like an idiot. “Thank you… So… What are you studying?”   
“I am trying to get my teaching license. It’s always been a dream of mine to be a teacher: preferably the cool one who gets along with almost every student… But what are you going to do if they don’t like you?” She shrugged. “I’d like to teach high school math.”   
“Oh that’s cool!” Link nodded his thanks as the waitress handed them their dishes. “Math was always my strongest subject. Just cause I got A’s in all of my classes doesn’t meant that I didn’t struggle.” 

Time and conversation continued to roll on as they ate. Before either of them knew it, it was already eleven o’clock at night. “Oh gosh!” Christy looked at the clock on the diner room wall. “Is that really the time?” Instantly, Link looked down at his cheap watch. “Yep… It is. Why?” Christy pulled out the money for the receipt and started to get up. “I hate to rush, but I’m past my curfew by thirty minutes.” Link was already jumping up and grabbing his keys. “You’re twenty and you have a curfew…?” Christy gently slapped his arm before tugging him towards the door. “My dad is the most strict alpha out there! He’s going to shoot you if he sees that I’m with a man!” They both climbed into his truck. Link was already starting to sweat and have a minor anxiety attack. “Well… Should I park a block down…?”   
“And have me walk home? Are you kidding? He will follow your scent and kill you for making me walk home at night!” She was now shaking her leg out of pure nervousness and anxiety. “Turn left here.” She muttered, staring out the window in disbelief. How could five hours go by that fast? She could’ve sworn that twenty minutes ago it was seven thirty. Link followed her directions to her house. The two stayed completely silent other than the occasional, “left” or “right”. Finally he pulled up into a small gravel driveway. “Can I at least have your number?” Christy nodded and dug through her small handbag for a pen and a slip of paper. “It’s the house phone… So good luck if my dad answers it…” She gave him a quick smile and a peck on the cheek. “Call me tomorrow morning. You owe me a date.” She instantly climbed out and ran up to the house. Link started to back out, just as he saw her open the door to her house.


	6. Love Isn't Real

Dear Rhett,  
We both did it. You only have a week left in Slovakia, and I assume both of us are still alive. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I died and I’m now in Heaven… A lot has happened. I met someone, and I think I’m madly in love with her. She’s perfect, Rhett. You used to always tease me about how I’d end up marrying some old troll. I think I’ve proved you wrong. She’s absolutely gorgeous. Rhett… She’s just so - the most beautiful woman in the world, actually… I love her… We started dating a bit after you left. Now I call her my girlfriend, and I’m her boyfriend. It’s pretty serious too. I think she’s in love with me. I can’t wait for you to get home and meet her. I know you’ll be reading this once you’re home, since I know it can’t get across the sea that quick. Call me, Rhett. I really miss you.   
Love,  
Charles Lincoln Neal the III

Link scribbled the words across the page, pausing every now and then to look at the beautiful blonde sleeping in his bed. He didn’t think it was possible for her to be anymore gorgeous and breath-taking, but as he saw her laying there- hair ruffled, snuggled up in blankets, and a look of serenity plastered on her face- he knew he was wrong. He knew he’d have to grow used to her gaining perfection with every breath that she would ever take in his presence. 

He quickly scrawled his signature on the bottom of the page before setting his notebook aside and crawling next to her in bed. He wrapped his arms around her skinny frame, and applied small kisses to her neck. A small giggle escaped the blonde, causing Link to grin like an idiot. “Sorry. Did I wake you, honey?” Christy groaned and turned around in Link’s arms to face him. “A little. What are you doin’ up so late, baby?” She cuddled into Link’s bare chest, taking in his scent. “ Writing a letter to Rhett. He’s comin back in a few days, so I’ll probably just give it to his mom to give to him when he’s back.” Christy nodded slowly and traced her fingers over the scars on Link’s chest. “I can’t wait to meet the competition.” She joked, causing Link to laugh. A month ago, while the relationship was still new, Christy and Link had a very in-depth conversation about everything- everything ranging from Link’s childhood to Christy’s meaning of love. She made a point to emphasize that it was exactly “her version of the meaning of love. Not thee meaning of love. Her meaning.” 

It had been a week or two after their first date. Pretty early on to be having deep, meaningful conversations, but you’ll soon find out that the relationship between Christy and Link wasn’t normal and would never be. Mostly because they weren’t normal.

Link sat on his couch, a bowl of chips in his lap. Sue had decided to go out of town for the weekend, allowing Link to have the house to himself. Of course, he invited CHristy over. Her father wasn’t very excited about it, but she was twenty years old. She could do what she pleased.

He took a small bite of the chip, looking over at Christy who was staring mindlessly at the television- almost as if she was in full thought. The brunet set the bowl down and gently nudged her arm. “What’s wrong, Christy?” She quickly shook her head a bit, clearly coming out of a deep thought. “I…” She hesitated for a long moment, not knowing whether it was smart or not to say what she had in mind. “I haven’t been completely open and honest to you, Link… And I really need to tell you something that has been driving me up the wall.” Link quickly responded by turning off the TV. “Then, let’s talk about it, Chrisie. I promise I won’t judge or anything like that…” She nodded slowly, still unsure whether to speak or not. “I’m just not sure if you’ll still want to be with me after I’ve told you… That’s what has ended all my other relationships, and I’d rather not have this one end.” Link scooted closer to her and took her hand in his. “Please just tell me…” His anxiety was definitely starting to kill him. “Link… I’m....” She looked at their hands. “I’m an alpha. I know. Oh my gosh! How can a girl as beautiful as you have a dick? How disgusting! Yes I know. I’ve heard it all. I can leave if you wish…” She went to retreat her hand, but Link wasn’t letting go. “Why Miss Christy White. Aren’t we perfect for each other?” This caused her to blush dark red. “I don’t know what you mean…” Link couldn’t help but to grin like an idiot. “I’m an omega, Chrisie. I know. Oh my gosh! How can a sexy boy like you have a vagina?” Christy couldn’t help but to laugh. “How disgusting!” She cooed, hiding her smile with her free hand. “Lincoln Neal. We are literally soul mates, aren’t we?” He giggled like a schoolgirl as she climbed into his lap, pulling him into a deep kiss. Link wrapped his arms firmly around her waist, keeping her glued to his front. She tilted her head to the right, not sure whether to take control of the kiss, or let Link take control. He moved his hand up her back to play with her strands of golden blonde hair. Christy licked his bottom lip, wanting entrance. He quickly submitted, letting her tongue explore his mouth. She let out a small moan, completely lost in the kiss. The world became fiction to them as they fell into a trance of kissing. Link couldn’t even remember Rhett anymore, or ever having feelings for him. His world was Christy’s now. 

The two continued to snog on the couch until Link had to pull away. His lips were slightly swollen and bruised. “I think we should stop so we don’t… You know..” He blushed, watching Christy slide off of his lap. “No. You’re right. You’re right… But do you think we could go maybe lay down?” She stood up and took his hands in hers, pulling Link up. “I’d like that a lot.” He led her down the hall to his bedroom. He brought her in, but stopped when Christy stopped dead in her tracks as the door opened. “What? What’s wrong?” He gently tugged on her arms.   
Christy let out a sigh and walked over to his bed. “Your room is literally drenched in pheromones of another alpha… I… I know we just kind of met, but is there something I should know?” Link groaned, joining her on his twin-sized bed. “It’s my best friend. He’s an alpha, and whenever he’s around, we usually don’t leave each other’s side.” Christy shook her head. “There’s more to it, Link. The scent. It’s too pure and… Perfect to just be there from hanging out. Link. You can tell me.” The brunet blushed dark red. “But this is the part where you’ll want to leave me.” Christy just grabbed his hand. “Tell.” He looked up to meet her blue eyes, instantly knowing that it was okay to come clean to her. “Rhett and I have known each other since first grade, and ever since then we’ve been inseparable best friends, but around the time when I got severely injured, we revealed our real feelings about each other to one-another. We kissed… And Rhett told me that he’d never let another alpha ever touch me again. I thought that was it. I’d found my alpha. For the next five years, we went on secret dates. We made out… We did some sexual things together, but we never actually had sex. He swore that we’d bond after college. I was madly in love with him. Then at the end of college last year, he sat me down and told me that we could never be together and that we might as well cut off all ties that weren’t appropriate to our Christian Baptist morals. And we did. Still best friends, but I was a heart-broken depressed wreck pretty much all year. He left to Slovakia and wouldn’t tell me why. I think it’s because his father knew something had been going on between us, and he wanted to make sure that it stopped. I thought it would be easy to let go of my feelings for him, but I was wrong. Christy... Ever since I saw you at the roller rink, those feelings for Rhett went away. I knew that I was in love with you- still am, actually. Yes I know. We’ve known each other for a week, and I think I’m in love with you.. Anyways, I’m scared Christy. I’m scared because I know that once I see Rhett again, those feelings will come rushing back. I don’t know what to do, because I love you. I really do, Christy. I think we were meant to be, but this… This part of my heart will always beat for purely Rhett, whether he loves me or not. And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to commit to a relationship if I ever have to pick and choose someone.” Link’s voice had faded out by the end of his sentence. Christy quickly wrapped Link up in her arms. “I think it’s time I tell you my take on the meaning of love.” She laid down on the bed, pulling Link down with her. The two laid face-to face, inches apart. “Many people think that there’s two different types of love. There’s the love that you have for your family, and the love that you have for your spouse. I say that that’s bull. Love isn’t something to be categorized. Love isn’t an object. Love isn’t even real. It’s a name that we put to a feeling. However, I think that love spreads to everyone who has ever touched you. Rhett has touched you the most in your life, Link. He’s been there for everything. Maybe you two really are soul-mates and meant to be, because he has most of your love. But that doesn’t meant that you don’t love me and won’t ever love me. Because I think that no matter whom you marry, you’ll always want Rhett. You’ll want to be in Rhett’s arms. You’ll want to have Rhett kissing you. But let me tell you, Lincoln Neal. That doesn’t mean that you won’t want to be in my arms. That won’t mean that you won’t want to crawl in bed with me every night, or raise a family with me. Because you’d still love me. I’m still meaningful to you, because why else would you have wanted to be with me? People think that open marriages and polygamy are stupid, and I’m one of those people. But I’m also someone who thinks that some people were born with more love than others. They have more to share. They need that second person in their lives. I think you’re that person, Lincoln. And I think that if our relationship lasts, and I hope that it will: you’ll still see Rhett. And I’ll be fine with that. I won’t care when you come home smelling like the other alpha, because I’ll know you were with the other person you loved. I won’t care if we’re at a party together as husband and wife, but you walk over and kiss Rhett. Because we both love you, and you love the two of us. And as your potential alpha and wife, I think it would be absolutely wrong of me if I ever told you that you couldn’t be with Rhett. He’s a part of your life, and I can’t pick and choose. Cause even if I felt jealous or alone, I’d know that Rhett would also feel that way, because he also would go through periods of times without you. You being with Rhett and being with me would never be cheating, because you’re just playing the game of life to your own instructions. You’re a special man with a special set of motives to finish the game... “ She wiped tears away from Link’s eyes. He had been crying uncontrollably half way through her speech. She was literally perfect for him. All of his own worries had just been set free. He knew Rhett still loved him, anyways. He was definitely excited to see him again. “Thank you, Chrisie.”He softly cried out. She nodded and pulled Link into his arms. “Now. Tell me what you meant by that time when you were severely injured.” Link took a deep breath and perched himself up on his arm. “Prepare for more crying…” And with that, Link dived into the story about his ex-step-dad, Jimmy, and what almost ended his life. He also told her about how he turned to cocaine once to rid his mind from Jimmy, but when he realized how that could screw up his life, he started taking out his pain and anger by cutting himself. He told her how he started to enjoy watching the blood run from his arms and legs. It was an adrenaline rush. By the end of his story, Christy was the one in tears, hugging Link for dear life. “At one point…” Link cleared his throat, coming to a story that only his mother, his father, and Rhett knew about. “Oh Christy...So…” He wiped her tears away. “So… There was this one time when I was sixteen… Where I almost killed myself.” He stopped as Christy let out a sob. “So my mom was at work, and Rhett was at basketball practice. Me being alone during my spurts of depression isn’t wise, but I didn’t want to tell Rhett, because I knew basketball was everything to him. So I laid in my room, letting my thoughts come back to haunt me. I started thinking about all the times that Jimmy told me how I was a disgusting omega. Then I started to think about church services where they preached how two men shan’t lay together. Then I started to think about Rhett touching me, and how good it felt. I hated myself, Christy. I’d never felt so much built up self-hate ever in my life… So I turned to my friend, the knife. I sat in the bathroom… Cut after cut… Watching my blood drip out. When I started to feel drowsy, it hit me. I felt so good. So, I grabbed a bottle of melatonin and started to pop pill after pill. I felt my body slowing, and it felt amazing. So I laid down on the bathroom floor, just waiting to be taken away to Hell. All I can remember after that is the screaming of Rhett and him shaking my body. Then I woke up in a hospital room, and after I was better they carted me away to a mental hospital for a few months. My mom and Rhett just told everyone that my dad and I were going on a vacation to Florida. Everyone, still to this day, believes that story.” Link held his crying girlfriend in his arms until the two fell asleep.


	7. New Beginnings?

Rhett grinned like an idiot as he rode in the car, approaching his house once again. It was easy to get homesick whilst being in a different country for three months. It really didn’t help that Rhett never wanted to leave in the first place. He had no desire to travel to a different country, leaving Link behind for three whole months. Getting the occasional letter from his friend was nothing. In all honesty, he missed holding Link to his body. He missed the nights where their roommate, Greg, would be out at a party, so Rhett would climb into the bed with Link. He’d hold the smaller boy to his body for hours, just breathing in his sweet scent. Rhett always loved how Link fit perfectly into his chest. They were made for cuddling and hugging. 

As the car pulled up to Rhett’s house, he excitedly ran out where his mother greeted him with open arms. After only a moment of embracing, Rhett pulled away and looked down at her. “Is there anything from Link?” Diane laughed and rolled her eyes. “There’s a letter on your bed.” Without another word, Rhett sprung up the stairs and to his room where he grabbed the envelope and tore it open. Rhett’s huge grin instantly diminished to a frown. “I can’t believe it…” He collapsed onto his bed in disbelief. Diane was now watching from the door. “What is it?” Rhett responded by just shaking his head side to side. “He… He has a girlfriend…” He couldn’t even believe his own words as they spilled out of his mouth. “Oh yes he does!” She squealed happily. “You have to meet her, Rhett. She’s beautiful and sweet. And guess what? She’s even an alpha! I’m so proud of him. Did you know th-” Her words quickly disappeared in Rhett’s ears. His heart had just been speared by a spear gun, ripped out of him, stomped on, and thrown into a fire. Another alpha? How dare he find another alpha! Rhett was his alpha! He clenched his jaw, making the veins in his head slightly noticeable. “-after the third date he even-” Diane was still babbling. “HOW DARE HE!” Rhett screamed, instantly breaking down into tears. Diane jumped in surprise, instantly running to his side. “What did he do, Rhett?” RHett rolled over to growl at her, knowing she’d run out of there fast- which she did. Rhett continued to cry, absolutely hating himself for leaving, and hating his dad for sending him away. His dad sent him to a Slovakian church camp, because they were known for “praying the gay away” in young men, such as Rhett. It didn’t work. He still wanted to stick his dick in Link, so his dad could shut the fuck up.

Rhett also decided that it was his fault, because he was the one who told Link that they could never be together. Rhett had no idea why he didn’t just tell Link the truth. Link had always been truthful to Rhett. The best he could do was reciprocate. However, now Link was gone with some disgusting alpha woman. Rhett wanted to disappear. He had to talk to Link, though. Despite how he felt, Link needed to know how Rhett felt about everything. They key to a healthy relationship was indeed communication. Rhett hopped up and grabbed the phone from the wall. He dialed his best friend’s number and waited for him to answer.  
“Hello?” Link’s voice seemed groggy and tired. He must’ve just woken up.  
“Guess who’s back, sleepy head!” Rhett sang into the phone. His mood had instantly improved after hearing Link’s adorable morning voice.  
“Rhett?” His voice chirped happily. “You’re back? Holy shit it’s the twentieth already!”  
Rhett chuckled and leaned against the wall. “Hey. Are you free to meet me in the field?” ‘The field’ is how they referred to the two rocks in the middle of a cow field, where they’d sit and talk. If you sat on the bigger rock, you were allowed to speak. If you sat on the smaller rock, you had to listen.  
“Yeah. Let me grab something to eat and pull on some pants.I’ll be right there.”  
“Awesome. Bye Link.” He hung up the phone and raced to get dressed. He had only been home for ten minutes and he was about to leave. He grabbed his car keys from the table and ran downstairs. “Going to hang with Link. Bye mom. Bye dad.” He waved before slipping out of the door and leaving.

Link had just gotten out of bed with Christy when Rhett called. Luckily, Christy was just about to leave to meet her parents for breakfast. The two changed, and he dropped her off at a small cafe in Lillington. She kissed his cheek before quickly scurrying off. Link drove back into Buies Creek to the field. Rhett was already waiting there, having taken his seat on the bigger rock. “Typical.” He muttered before getting out and jogging over to the smaller rock. He quietly took his seat, knowing that Rhett had a lot to say.

“So… You have a girlfriend. I can smell her.” Link rolled his eyes at that. “So.... Uh… I wanted to talk to you about what I said before I left… And uh… Why I left in the first place.” He looked at Link to make sure he was still watching, which he was. “I’ve been telling you too many lies lately and not being honest to you at all. So. I left to Slovakia to attend a Christian church camp. I know. In Slovakia? My dad really knew distance would force us to be apart from each other. So that’s why I was there. It fucking sucked. Church every day for eight hours. Fucking sucked. But before I left, I told you that we couldn’t be together and that we should move on. I honestly didn’t mean that, and I still love you but… You know… You have a girlfriend, and that’s honestly fine. It’s my fault you’ve moved on.” Link was raising his hand, obviously really needing to say something. “Wanna switch?” He asked, receiving a nod. He quickly hopped down and switched spots with Link. That’s when Link recited Christy’s spiel about love, and how Christy basically gave Rhett permission to fuck him. (Indirectly…) Link could instantly see the joy fill Rhett’s face. He could live with not being able to marry Link, as long as he got to hold him, kiss him, and just enjoy him as his own omega. 

That night, Link, Christy, and Rhett went out to have dinner together. Much to Rhett’s surprise, he really liked Christy. She was beautiful, and funny, and everything that Link could want or need. The two seemed to click with each other as well. It was hard to be jealous of the two, because Rhett knew that she was good for Link. Plus, now Rhett had the freedom to find a woman and please his family. Maybe he’d luck out and find someone that clicked with him just as Link clicked with Christy.

And he did.

A few months later

He had just gotten through a rough break-up with this one girl who also attended Meredith College. (The college that Christy attended.) He thought she was perfect, but he soon found out that the omega had been cheating on him with another man. After that break-up fiasco, he really wasn’t much into dating anyone. However, not long after, he met a beautiful eighteen year old from Fuquay-Varina. Valentine's Day was approaching,and whilst Link spent his night covering Christy’s car in five-hundred heart-shaped post-it notes (hand cut by Link), Rhett decided to ask her to go to a Valentine’s Banquet in Fuquay with him. Of course, he wanted to go just as friends. It’s always a smart idea to ask a girl out to a Valentine’s Banquet just as friends on the night of Valentine’s Day… Especially when you ask that girl the night before at eleven thirty in the evening… Now, Jessie was still in high school. Rhett had just turned twenty-one. He didn’t want to be a twenty-one year old asking a high schooler on a date. That’s why they were going to go as friends. Link tried his best to talk Rhett out of it. He kept claiming that it wasn’t good to get attached to someone after just going through a rough break-up. Even though Link meant what he said, Rhett took it as Link being jealous… So he went for it. Much to his surprise, she agreed to go to the banquet with him… However, Rhett couldn’t just be the good southern gentleman that he was. The blond really didn’t want her to think that he was interested in her, so he decided to act too cool for her. He wouldn’t open doors. He never pulled out chairs for her. He knew she was probably having an awful time, but he didn’t want to date a high schooler. 

 

The banquet was hosted by the church, so this meant that his family and many other families were there. (Link’s included, but Link and Christy were out on a romantic date.) He did introduce Jessie to his family, but when he did, he made sure to specify that she was a friend of his. Everyone, including Jessie, knew he was only acting like this because he had a rough break-up. It was evident: no girlfriend right now. 

However, a year rolled by, and somehow, Jessie and Rhett still talked. He decided that since she was now nineteen and in college, it was perfectly fine to date her. So, he invited her to go to that same banquet with him, only this time, it would be a date. Also, there was no banquet happening that year. Rhett had talked to his mother and Jessie’s mother about going to the same place where the banquet had been. He asked the two if they’d help him recreate the menu from the last year, as well as decorating it the same way. Both women were ecstatic to do it. Jessie’s mother absolutely adored Rhett, and Rhett’s mother adored Jessie. He recreated the night, except for it was only him, Jessie, and their mothers there. The night went spectacularly. By the end of the night, Rhett had a new girlfriend… And he was really confident about this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye. So, if you even noticed, my stories from Rhett's point of view aren't as strong. Mostly because I prefer writing in Link's perspective and about Link's life. I connect better with Link more than Rhett... Also being that I love Christy more than I love Jessie. So writing descriptions of Christy comes from my heart, but with Jessie I'm just kinda like- here ya go. So, sorry about that. Also, my details might be a little sloppy about what years of college that they're in. In the last chapter, it was the summer after their sophomore year. So Rhett took Jessie on the awful date during his Junior year of college. And the actual date happened Rhett, Link, and Christy's senior year of college. Jessie just started college. I wrote this chapter at 3 am to get it out of the way. Like I said, I prefer writing about Link.


	8. Weddings Are Stressful

It had only been a few more months before Link knew he had to take control and propose to his girlfriend. The two had only been dating for a year and a half, but he knew that no matter what length that they’d dated, it wouldn’t matter. They were in love, and she was perfect for him. He had to make her his.

During that summer, Christy had been gone on a trip with her friends. The only way that the two communicated was through phone calls and writing letters. Emailing did exist at this point in time, but it would’ve been a huge hassle for both of them to find access to internet and computers. Computer cafes were not everywhere.

The week before Christy was coming home, Link started to develop an idea, and that was to propose to her. Now, Link definitely didn’t have enough money at the time to buy a ring. The way he made money in college was by selling his plasma. It was like donating blood, except you donated blood for its plasma and were paid for doing it. 

The night before Christy came back, he mosied over to her parent’s house, and asked for their blessings. Her dad was a bit iffy on saying yes, but he did have confidence that Link would treat his daughter right. After the two said yes, he started to develop a speech and how’d he’d propose.

After she came home, Link took her on a romantic walk at night. As their romantic walk under the moonlight came to an end, Link brought her near the side of her house. To enhance the romance, the moths flying into the bug zapper could be heard from where they stood in the grass. “Christy…” Link took both of her hands in his. “Before I say anything, I need to know… Do I look good?” He smirked, causing the blonde to giggle. “You look amazing, Lincoln. Why did you need to know?” Link nervously kissed her hand before looking back at her eyes. “Cause I wanna be remembered in this moment as the sexiest man alive.” Christy rolled her eyes and pulled him in for a hug. “You’re a dork.” He pulled away from the hug and dropped to one knee. “Christy,” She already was starting to freak out: cupping her hands over her mouth, dabbing her eyes, etc. Suddenly Link became too nervous to remember his prepared speech. “I uh… I have no ring right now, but I… I will eventually… We’ve known each other for almost two years now, and I couldn’t be more in love with anyone… And… Will you marry me?” He asked, making his eyes puppy-like to insure a yes- “Yes! Of course, Lincoln!” She pulled him up, and pulled him into a deep kiss. Link grinned, returning the kiss. He pulled away to wipe a few stray tears from her cheeks. “Again, I’m sorry that I don’t have a ring yet. This was just a spur of the moment thing. I also had a speech prepared… But I forgot it…” Link blushed bright red and looked away from her in embarrassment. “You’re so daft, Link. I don’t care about a stupid ring. I care about you, and being married to you.” Christy grabbed his arm and gently tugged him towards the house. Her parents had already opened the door to welcome the newly engaged couple inside. Her mother was all smiles as she pulled Link into her arms. “Welcome to the family, Lincoln!” The four celebrated with champagne and wild stories about Christy’s childhood until the time came where they all parted for bed.

The wedding day was just as spontaneous as the proposal, but what wedding isn’t? Anything can happen at weddings, and this definitely came to play at the wedding of Charles Lincoln Neal the III and Christian Marie White. Perhaps all went corrupt when a deputy almost shot Rhett and the other groomsmen for wanting to decorate the newlyweds’’ car. Or maybe perhaps before the wedding started as Link sobbed in his dressing room?

The day started out well. He woke up to his mother and father (he thought he had died and was hallucinating. He literally hadn’t seen them together since he was in the mental hospital) smiling over him with a tray of breakfast. Link ate happily (his dream really did come true. His mother and father were in the same room, and not killing each other.) before getting ready for his big day. Rhett came by and picked him and his parents up. Link’s father, Charles, was the best man, which may seem weird, but it was a tradition in the south. Rhett was obviously the running mate for next in line. Christy had ordered Link and Rhett to be at the church early to make sure that everything was set up and ready, while she got her hair done at the salon. 

As Link was finishing up with decorating the benches in the church, he started to have severe cramps. Link quickly rushed to the bathroom to find himself bleeding. “Mom!” He yelled, starting to feel himself have an anxiety attack. “Mom!” He repeated, not having the patience to wait. Sue quickly rushed in, looking quite frightened by Link’s scared and angered tone. “What is it, baby?” This was when Link just broke down into complete tears. “Everything is ruined! I’m bleeding everywhere, and I don’t have pads. And I don’t have another pair of underwear! I don’t feel well! I just-.” He broke down into Sue’s arms. “Shush. I’ll go drive home and get you what you need, Lincoln. There’s nothing to worry about. You’re getting too worked up over everything.” She hugged him and brought him over to the couch in his dressing room. “Calm down. Everything will be fine, my little angel. You’ll marry Christy, then you two get to go home and enjoy yourselves.” Link nodded, still crying into her chest. Sue sat there, rubbing his back. “Rhett.” She called as the blond passed by in the hall. He quickly backed up and peaked in. “Yes, Momma? What’s wrong with this one?” He joked, walking into the room. “He’s just a little emotional. He started his heat. Would you mind running home and picking up some supplies for him?” Without hesitation, Rhett grabbed his keys and left for Sue’s house. He’d sat through many of Link’s heats before, so he knew what to get and where to find it.

After that event, the wedding went as planned. The service was beautiful: both Link and Christy were crying as they exchanged vows. Rhett and Jessie enjoyed their time there. Rhett was already planning in his head who to invite to the wedding of Rhett and Jessica McLaughlin. (They weren’t even engaged yet.) Rhett and the groomsmen were almost shot by a deputy, because Christy’s father didn’t want them messing up Christy's new car, since it was their wedding gift. However, in the end, the groomsmen quickly painted on the car with shaving cream, and the deputy was very close to grabbing his gun, until he realized that shooting Link’s best friend would ruin the big day. Christy’s dad was super pissed. Rhett swore that he could see a vein popping out.

Unlike normal wedded couples, after getting to their new home after the wedding, Link and Christy just collapsed on the couch with a bag full of chips and a pitcher full of sweet tea. “Isn’t this the part where we have sex all night?” Link chuckled, sloppily eating a handful of greasy chips. Christy laughed as well, doing the same thing. “Yeah, but I’m not quite horny right now. Just tired. I couldn’t sleep, because my bridesmaids forced me to go out and have a stupid bachelorette party. I don’t know why they didn’t plan it before the wedding. They refused to let me skip it. Long story short, I went to bed at two in the morning and woke up at six in the morning. I just want to sleep… And eat. You wouldn’t believe the pressure my mom put me under about having to fit into a dress.” Link laughed and took a drink of tea, listening to his wife’s story. “Every time I’d go to eat a cookie, a single cookie, she’d say stuff like, ‘You better watch your figure, Christian! You have a wedding gown to fit into!’ She guilted me into salads literally all the time. Weddings are stressful.” The brunet nodded his agreement and put his arm around Christy. “I agree. I totally agree. At least we got it over with.”

Thus, the two sat together on the couch until the sun went down, probably becoming the only couple in the world who didn’t have sex on their wedding night. (However, the sex did come the next night.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... It's been a while since I've updated... I'd like to apologize about that. It's just that, I had been updating every night for over a week, and that kind of burned me out on the fic. I still love it and have great plans for it, but I just feel like I'm dragging my feet through these "in the past" chapters. I'm trying to move along to, at least, when they start their career in internetainment, but the problem is that I have a story to tell. Not everyone is as obsessed with Rhett and Link as I am, so not everyone knows their past and the stories they've shared on old podcasts and stuff. So, maybe if you don't follow them as much as I do, you wouldn't know that Link And Christy actually did meet at the roller rink. Or that the proposal story is actually how he proposed. Or that Rhett and the groomsmen really did almost get shot on Link's wedding day. That's why I write fics. Not enough people make fics that follow the facts. That's what I do. I spice my own stories into their real lives, and that's why I like my writing. Anyways, I'm sorry for the last few sucky chapters. I'm just burned out right now, but I hate keeping people waiting. I usually never force chapters, but the last two or three I have. I don't know. But if you really do like this fanfiction, make sure to leave a comment about it. Comments really help me update fanfics, because it shows that more than two or three people care. It helps me understand that I have an audience who wants more. Otherwise, I feel like I'm writing for nothing. I promise the chapters won't all suck. I'm getting back into reading (Thank you, JK Rowling), so that should help my writing come back to life. 
> 
> I also hate writing these "in the past" chapters, because it's just so repetitive. I've heard these stories thousands of times, because I rewatch RandL stuff all the time. Plus some of these stories, I've written in my other fanfiction. So, the repetitive stuff also really drags me down. It's hard to be and feel creative when you're taking words and reworking it into your own, but that's the price you pay to use facts about Rhett and Link.
> 
> Also, I'm sorry to those who really enjoy smut, but I can't write smut to save my life. So unless you want to write smut for me, there won't be any in my fanfic. If you'd be interested in writing omegaverse smut, I'll put my Tumblr and Kik at the end of the notes. If you aren't familiar with Omegaverse smut, I can help you. I just hate writing smut. It's not my forte. I like smut in other fanfictions, but my own smut is laughable. That's also why this chapter was kind of rushed... I wasn't sure whether to put smut in or not... But it's fine. If someone volunteers, y'all might get smut later. I also really want someone to volunteer to write omegaverse smut, because knotting is what ahppens during mating, and I really want those new to Omegaverse to get a taste of what Omegaverse is. In the Sherlock fandom, there's fic after fic written in Omegaverse, but I am the first for Rhett and Link. So please, message me on my social media.
> 
> Kik: TheMycroftHolmes  
> Tumblr: GMMythicalBeast  
> Email: lillian1999@comcast.net


	9. A Typical Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I'm finally updating this fic. I think the last update was in like August... Yikes.

“Lincoln! Lily! We’re going to be late to church!” Christy yelled, impatiently waiting by the front door. Link was trying his absolute best to tie Lando’s shoes, but the five year old wouldn’t stop trying to kick the air.   
“Just let me tie your shoes, Lando James Neal!”  
“No! I don’t wanna go to church!” The five year old kicked off his shoe, sending it flying over the coffee table and into one of Christy’s beloved lamps. Luckily, the lamp didn’t fall. Instead it viciously swayed back and forth as Christy watched in horror.   
“Lando!” This time, the blond knew he was in trouble. “Mommy. I didn’t mean too! Please mommy!” Tears instantly welled in his eyes, and his bottom lip puffed out. Link immediately picked the boy up and held him in his arms. “Don’t cry, Lando. You’re not in any trouble. I know you didn’t mean to do it.” The omega kissed his head. Christy stomped over to the lamp and retrieved his shoe. “Lando. Put your shoes on and get ready! Why is everyone running late today? Y’all are acting like we’re going to the dentist. It’s just church!” Lincoln came into the room wearing a Minecraft shirt and blue jeans.”Because we never go to church, Mom! It’s boring!” Lily shuffled in as well, wearing a plain blue dress. “He does have a point, mom…” At this point, Christy lost it. “You children are acting so ungrateful today! When I was your age, I went to Sunday school, morning church, Sunday school part two, and then church in the evening. Every Wednesday I’d have church after school. I had to go. It was a must. I was even named after a religion, and you kids sit here complaining that I’m making you go to church for the first time in months? Unbelievable.” Christy grabbed her purse. “Lincoln. Change into dress pants and a nice shirt. I’ll be in the car.” With that, she pulled the door behind her and left. Link let out a long sigh and held Lando to his chest. “Come on. Change and get in the car. Your mom seems to have had enough for the day.” Link grabbed his phone and his keys and waited for Lincoln to put on something different, and when he did, the crew got into the van and left for church. 

The car ride to church was eerily silent. Neither Link nor the children wanted to do anything to upset the already angered alpha. The only sound that could be heard in the car was Lando’s random mumbles to himself. It actually made Link smile. They’d be driving down the road in complete silence, when all of a sudden Lando would say something like, “But why do cars have to stop for the people? People should stop for the cars.” None of his questions or remarks were meant to be answered, all of them were just pure thoughts coming from his mind. “What’s the point of selling strawberries on the side of the road? No one is prepared. No one wants strawberries from the side of a road. Go to a parking lot, strange man.” Link looked in the rearview mirror so he could see his son. “You doin’ alright back there, buddy?” Lando looked up and met his dad’s eyes, which instantly made him smile. “Yes, daddy. I’m okay.” He started to giggle wildly, and in which the other two kids joined in. Link glanced back up to see what was going on. “What did I miss?” He chuckled as his children laughed and giggled.   
“Lando is just silly.” Lily laughed, covering her mouth like her mom did. Link grinned and focused back on the road. He absolutely adored his children. They were all fantastic.

Link pulled into the full, yet empty parking lot, meaning all of the spots except two were full, but everyone was already packed inside. The omega filed out and inside with his children, and sent the three down the hall towards the Sunday school classrooms. Christy grabbed Link’s hand and followed him into the service. Link spotted Rhett in the back row and quickly slid into a bench next to him.   
“You’re late.” Rhett whispered into Link’s ear while keeping his eyes on the pastor. “We had some technical difficulties this morning…” He murmured, not moving his eyes off of the pastor as well. “Tell me more about it at lunch.” 

The four sat there in silence as the service went on for two hours. After the songs and prayers, Rhett, Link, Jessie, and Christy got the kids from Sunday school and moved towards the parking lot. Lando and Shepard followed directly behind Rhett and Link, while Lily, Lincoln, and Locke walked in front of the lot. The blond stopped in front of his car and turned to Link and Christy. “Are we still doing lunch at my place?” The two nodded. “I’ll bring the sides and the dessert.” Christy chimed, already planning a million dishes that she’d bring over. Once she saw Jessie's facial expression of "You don't have to do that," she quickly added, “Hush. Trust me. I’m fine. I want to cook.” Jessie sighed, but nodded her head. “Sounds good, hun. We’ll see you later. Better get started on the roast.” 

The McLaughlins gathered in the car and went on their way, leaving the Neals in the Radius Church’s parking lot. Link buckled Lando in before getting in the driver’s seat and driving the lot home. 

Christy immediately went to the kitchen once they got home, and began potato salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, and two pies. It was the South inside of her that compelled her to make so many dishes for a simple lunch with the other half of their family. She boiled pasta and potatoes, cut up many vegetables, and made her dressings and pie fillings. Their lunch was going to be more of an early dinner sort of thing, so she had plenty of time to prepare all of her foods and still be at the McLaughlin Estate by 3:30 in the afternoon.

Every now and again, one of the kids or Link would pop in in attempt to steal a scrap from whatever she was working on. Link tiptoed in came up behind his gorgeous blonde wife. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck, however, his ninja skills ended up causing her to jump. “Gosh! Link!” Her anger at being frightened quickly disintegrated as Link kissed up her neck and to her cheek. “Linkie…” She giggled and turned her head to meet his lips. The two lovebirds exchanged a chaste kiss before Christy pulled away. “What’s up, Charles?” Link rolled his eyes at the use of his first name. “Nothin. Just hungry and bored.”   
Christy pouted at his response and wiped her floury thumb across his cheek, leaving a white streak. “Why are you bored, honey?”   
The brunet nuzzled into his alpha’s neck. “Lando is taking a nap, and Lily and Lincoln are playing computer games and won’t let me watch. So now I’m bored.”  
“Aww. Daddy isn’t needed anywhere?”  
Link gloomily nodded his head.   
“Well..” Christy turned in his arms so they were face to face. “I guess I could use an extra hand in here.” Her words seemed to perk up the bored and gloomy omega as a small smile formed on his lips. “Really?”  
“Of course, buttercup.” She quickly pecked his lips. “Either you could wash up those dishes for me,” she pointed to a sink full of dirtied kitchen utensils and dishes, “or you could knead this dough for the pies. I could use two strong hands.” She picked up both of Link’s hands and pressed kisses to his knuckles.  
“I could do both for you. You look like you have a lot on your hands.” He meant that both literally and figuratively, for Christy’s hands were dirtied with flour.   
She let out a small sigh and nodded her head. “Princes do exist!” She swooned and pulled away from Link. “Get the dishes washed up while I get the dough mixed. Then I’ll call over my big strong sexy man.” She jokingly bit her lip and shook her butt in Link’s direction, which he definitely didn’t look away from for a solid fifteen seconds. 

The couple spent the next hour working on the food. After Link had finished washing and drying the dishes, Christy taught him how to knead dough, which (much to Link’s surprise) he did better than Christy could have ever done. Christy claimed it was the fact that Link’s hands were bigger and stronger, but Link was beyond convinced that he was just a natural (in his exact words) “Chef Boyardee,” which Christy almost peed herself from laughing at his example. So, the two had a great time. And by three, every side dish and dessert was ready and packed into the back of the minivan. Not wanting to wake Lando, Link picked the small boy up and carried the sleeping boy to the van. Lily and Lincoln powered down the Mac in Link’s home office and followed to the van. Soon the team was on their way to the McLaughlins. 

The lunch/dinner went wonderfully, and before any of them knew it, the sun had set, the birds had went to sleep, and the nocturnal creatures were lurking about. Lando had fallen asleep in Link’s lap on the couch, the kids were beginning to grow tired of playing video games, and the alcohol in Christy and Jessie just kept growing. When the clock struck eleven, Link scooped Lando into his arms and said his farewells. The other two kids and a very drunk wife followed him out to the van, and away they went.


	10. Monday Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a typical Monday morning in the office... Until Link's heat makes a visit.

Monday morning came around sooner than Link would have liked. When his alarm beeped angrily at him, he let out a long groan. “Call Rhett. I’m not going in.” Christy rolled over to look at her husband. “Why? Is anything wrong, my love?” She brushed his hair out of his eyes and rested the back of her hand on his forehead. “Your temperature is a little high...”   
“No I’m tired. I don’t wanna go to work.” He grumbled again, feeling too tired and overcome with dread of the day to speak.   
“Oh come on. You act like you don’t take naps at work.” She shook her head and began to get out of bed. “Come on. Get up. I’ll go make your coffee and smoothie.” Link responded with a long low groan as Christy removed all of the covers. Link always became cold extremely easily. He usually wore a coat in the office. The only time he was ever usually warm at work would be during filming, because the lights were like miniature suns beating down on him and Rhett.  
So, due to the lack of warmth in his room, and the idea of putting on a warm sweatshirt, Link finally got up.

Monday mornings usually resulted in Link having to rush out the door, and that Monday was no different. He got into his Ford Fusion and scooted off to work. Monday mornings were also a no carpool day between him and Rhett, for the exact reason that both of them could have an extra fifteen minutes to sleep in. It’s safe to say that neither Rhett or Link liked Mondays. The crew were no exception either. Every single Monday morning was quiet and lacked energy.

Rhett and Link sat in their office for a good two hours of the morning checking emails, replying to emails, paying bills, checking the crew’s editing, and confirming GMM ideas. When lunchtime rolled around, Link decided to stay in their office and take a power nap. Rhett, on the other hand, went out to get Thai food with some of the crew members. When that was said and done, and Rhett had gently awoken Link, it was time to film a few episodes. 

Link changed into a purple leather, form fitting bodysuit that showed way more than it should have. He looked in the mirror and noticed the obvious outline of his penis. “Oh.” He hobbled over to the door and cracked it open to the set. “Rhett! I need ya!” He hobbled back over to the mirror, where soon Rhett emerged in the reflection. “What’s up, bo- oh…” Rhett noticed the obvious package Link was carrying. “Yeah. You can’t wear that.” Link rolled his eyes. “No shit, Sherlock. What are we gonna do? We need this for the-.” Link noticed Rhett’s eyes were focusing on his pants and not his face. “What?”   
Rhett licked his bottom lip. “Uh… I think your heat started…” Link looked down at the added wetness showing through his suit. “Shit!” Link disappeared to the office in a flash. He tore open every drawer in search for his scent blockers. When he finally found the bottle, he tipped it over to reveal that there was nothing in the bottle. “Fuck!” He groaned loudly. He could feel his temperature rising even more. The suit began to stick to his body, making him feel even hotter and even more uncomfortable. Link began to whine softly as he pawed at the zipper, but couldn't get it down. Rhett peaked his head in and was quickly assaulted with an amazing scent in the air, that almost immediately had blood rushing to his cock. “Bo?” He tried to keep himself contained. They were best friends. He wasn’t gay. They were both married. He knew nothing could or would happen. However, seeing Link all flustered, hearing his whimpers, and smelling his scent, pretty much had him ditching every moral he had ever known. “Bo?” He walked into the room and closed the door.   
“The stupid zipper won’t go down and I’m all out of scent blockers and I’m hot and I just-” He rambled before breaking down into frustration induced tears. Rhett frowned and came up behind Link. He gently unzipped the back of the suit, watching Link’s back slowly become more exposed, and soon his ass. Rhett let out a small growl and began stripping Link from the suit. “Don’t cry. It’ll be okay. Daddy’s gonna take care of you.” Rhett had never called himself daddy in a sexual situation ever before, but he was glad he did. The use of the word caused a loud and desperate whimper to sound from the omega in heat, and Rhett could’ve sworn he’d gotten ten times harder from that, if it were even possible.

Rhett pressed hard kisses to the brunet's neck as Link slipped his arms out of the sleeves. He more than thankful that the alpha had come to his rescue. It wasn’t even crossing his mind that the alpha was his best friend. His straight best friend. And the fact that they were both mated and married. All he cared about was that he had slick dripping and running down his leg, and that he was absolutely rock hard. 

Rhett ran his hands down Link’s waist, past his pelvis and between Link’s thighs. “You’re wet for daddy, aren’t you?” The alpha growled again, causing yet another dick hardening whimper.   
“Yes daddy! Please take care of me!” Link’s voice was dripping desperation, and Rhett wanted nothing more but to fulfill his omega’s wishes. He scooped Link into his arms and brought him over to the couch. Rhett laid his omega down and basically ripped off every shred of clothing on his own body, until his massive cock was freed from the painfully tight pants. Link moaned at the sight, his own cock stirring in interest. 

Being as wet as Link was, Rhett knew there was no sense in foreplay. He knelt onto the couch and pulled Link closer until his legs were resting on Rhett’s shoulders, and his dripping hole was lined up with Rhett’s member. The alpha let out a loud low growl and pushed fully into Link. The brunet reacted with a loud gasp and an even louder moan. “Daddy, yes! Fuck me!” Link’s breathing hitched already, just waiting in anticipation to be fucked into the couch. Rhett wasn’t slow to please. He immediately began pounding into Link, letting the sounds of Rhett’s balls hitting Link’s wet ass, and Link’s pitiful whimpers and moans fill the room. “You're so fucking wet and tight. Haven’t been fucked in a while, huh, omega?” He grunted and slammed his cock into Link.   
“No daddy! I haven’t! Fuck you feel so good!” Link wrapped his arms around Rhett’s neck, and dug his nails into the alpha’s skin. This only encouraged Rhett to go even harder and faster. Both men were grunting and moaning, too overcome with lust to really say much. “I love when you call me daddy.” He growled under his breath, just barely enough for Link to hear.   
“I’m so close, daddy!” He raked his nails across Rhett’s neck, trying his best not to come on himself and ruin the moment by being done already. He just couldn't help it.   
“Daddy wants you to come, baby. Come for me, omega!” He stared Link directly in the eyes, making sure the omega knew it was a command that must be fulfilled. Link submitted to Rhett in seconds, and came on both his and Rhett’s stomachs. “Oh! Daddy!” He screamed, letting his orgasm be milked out onto his chest.   
Link’s submissiveness had Rhett’s knot forming, and in moments he had pushed it fully in and began milking out his own orgasm.   
The alpha stopped his rapid movements, not wanting to hurt his omega by accidentally pulling out his knot. His omega moaned under him, and Rhett could tell that Link’s heat was already calming just by having Rhett’s knot in him.  
The blond gently laid on Link and skillfully flipped the two so that Link could lay on the alpha’s chest and not be crushed by Rhett’s weight. Rhett pressed a soft and loving kiss to his omega’s lips, and soon, the sweaty and exhausted men had both fallen asleep.


	11. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo I wrote this at 3 am and I am literally too tired to reread this chapter. So I'm sorry if there are mistakes. My eyes hurt and my fingers hurt.

Link groaned softly when the couch under him moved. “Hm?” He blinked one eye open when he realized that couches don’t move on their own. Confusion struck the omega when he realized that their was no sunlight coming in from the window. Instead, light from the streetlamp across the street was pouring through the window. Link looked over at his desk, relieved to see that Rhett’s stuff was still there. Now the next question was, where was Rhett? A bit panicked, Link opened his other eye and frantically searched the room again. Much to his horror, Rhett wasn’t at his desk, but he was lying beneath Link naked and on the couch. Link looked down at himself only to notice that he was naked as well. “Wha?” Link quickly rolled off of Rhett and onto the floor. He couldn't find his clothes, so he decided to put Rhett’s shirt on anyways. Anything to hide his naked body from his best friend. He had no idea what was going on nor what happened. All he knew was that before he fell asleep, it was barely even evening hours. Now it was pitch black outside, and whatever he was doing with Rhett resulted in them both naked and asleep on each other. He snaked his arm down his body and felt his bum, mostly because he was absolutely sore. When he took his hand back up, he was shocked to see not only slick, but sperm on his fingers. Link looked back at the couch, and suddenly everything clicked when he saw the mess they had made. “Shit. We did.” 

The brunet stomped over to Rhett and shook him awake.  
“What?” The sleepy blond groaned and covered his eyes. Link moved Rhett’s hand so he’d look at him. “Fuck you. Fuck you. And fuck you, my friend.” Link hissed before marching over to his desk. “What the hell did I do?” Rhett growled and sat up. His question was quickly answered by the fading scent in the room, the mess on the couch, and the fact that both him and Link were basically naked. “Oh shit!” Rhett bolted up and grabbed his phone. On it were three missed calls and three voice mails from Stevie, two missed calls from Jessie, and a lot of texts. He unlocked his phone and viewed the texts first.

{Text 6:15 pm - Jessie ♥♥} Where are you, Rhett?  
{Text 6:20 pm - Jessie ♥♥} Where the hell are you, Rhett?  
{Text 6:21 pm - Stevie} When will you and Link wake the hell up? Both Christy and Jessie are blowing my fucking phone up!  
{Text 6:25 pm - Jessie ♥♥} What a great husband and father you are. In case you forgot, Locke’s swim meet is tonight. Ya know. In five minutes!   
{Text 6:30 pm - Jessie ♥♥} Un-fucking-believable. Don’t even bother coming home tonight.   
{Text 6:45 pm - Christy} Hey, Rhett. Where are you and Link? I hope you two are alright. I’m really starting to get worried. Link never misses Netflix night.  
{Text 7:02 pm - Cole} Hey brother. Is everything alright? Christy is calling me asking if I know where you and Link are????? How am I supposed to know? I live across the US! What’s going on, man?  
{Text 8:12 pm - Jessie ♥♥} Rhett. I’m seriously getting worried. Call me.  
{Text 8:17 pm - Christy} Please Rhett! I’m frightened! Answer!  
{Text 8:30 pm - Jessie ♥♥} Alright. Christy and I are coming to the office. 

Rhett read through his texts and looked at the clock. “8:47 pm.” He read aloud. “Fuck.” Rhett quickly grabbed his clothes and ran to the dressing room. If his math was right, and he’d hope it was since he majored in engineering, then Jessie and Christy would be arriving any second. “Link! Our wives are coming! Put your damn clothes on and we’ll deal with all of this later!” Link quickly ran into the room and did as told. “They’re coming?!”   
“Yeah man! They should literally be here now!” Rhett tightened his belt and pulled on a shirt.   
“Well… What do I do?! I smell like you!” Link whined while putting on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Rhett grabbed a can of Axe Dark Temptations and quickly sprayed a “middle school boy after gym glass” amount on Link, until they were both light headed and pretty sure that the amount of chemicals they just breathed in would knock off at least 2 years of their lives. Link gasped for breath open opened the dressing room door to the set. “What’s the backup story?!” Rhett shrugged and jogged to the set to turn on lights to make it seem like they were working. In the distance, they could hear two cars pull up and car doors slamming. “Shit. They’re here.” Link breathed, unknowingly cowering to Rhett’s side. “I don’t know. I think maybe we should tell them the truth. We’ve caused enough goddamn damage tonight as is.”   
Link just shyly nodded. “You sure?”  
“Positive.” Rhett sat down at the desk as Link pretended to mess around with the camera. Christy and Jessie, who had the keys to the office, jogged into the office, and Rhett could see immediate relief rush over their wives’ faces when they saw their husbands safe and sound. However, the next facial expression to overcome the both of them was pure anger. “Who the fuck do you think you are?! Not answering any of us! Not showing up to see your son win 1st place at the last meet of the season?!” Jessie screamed at the top of her lungs, causing Rhett to feel like the worst human being in the world. Link, who still had his back turned because he was messing with the camera, gave Rhett a look saying “the truth?” Rhett nodded at Link, and the brunet slowly made his way to sit with the alpha at the desk. “Christy…” He looked at his wife and then at the other woman. “Jessie… Sit down. We gotta talk.” Christy, being much more calm and collected than Jessie was, sat in Stevie’s chair while Jessie sat in Lizzie’s chair. “Yes, Link?” 

Link took another look at Rhett before beginning. “We can explain why this has all happened-”  
“You better!” Jessie shouted, and earned a hush from Christy. Rhett felt awful.  
“Well… Rhett and I-”  
Ben busted through the door to the recording room. “Were recording a new song with me and I forced them to turn off their phones.” He took his headphones off and leaned against the wall. “Everything is sorta my fault…” He gave them an apologetic look. “You see… At lunch, Rhett and I were going over a new song, and everything seemed really great. So since we had a costume issue with Link’s outfit for an episode, we decided to postpone shooting until Wednesday. So I grabbed Rhett and Link and had them start recording their new song. Wl,elt went horribly, and they both kept yelling and screaming at each other. Then they wen silent and I started playing on their phones. So I took their phones away and powered them off, and then we had no clock in there so we kinda lost track of time. It was my fault, Jessie. Christy. And I do apologise… I’ve caused a lot…” Ben looked down, feeling ashamed even though the story was fake. After hearing the story, Christy and Jessie both felt awful. Here they had yelled and screamed at their husbands (well, Jessie had) even though it technically wasn’t their faults. Jessie let out a long sigh and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Rhett. Here I was yelling at you, when you didn’t mean to do this…” Rhett got up and pulled his wife into his arms. It’s alright. Really. You have every right in the world to be pissed at me.”

Link walked over to Christy and looked shyly up at his alpha. “Sorry, baby…” He was scared his alpha was going to be mad at him. “It’s no problem, Link. I was more worried than angry.” She pulled Link into her arms and went to kiss his neck, however she was greeted by the immense smell of Axe. “Jesus Christ, Link.”  
“I can explain that. My heat started and I was out of scent blockers so I sprayed myself with ungodly amounts of Axe to keep my scent tamed, and it worked. Now we just both have pounding migraines. Ben probably does too.”  
Christy just shook her head. “Well let’s get you home so you can shower and take actual scent blockers. Not give yourself asthma.” She chuckled and stood up. Link nodded and stepped back. “I need to get my stuff from our office. You can get a head start. I promise I’ll actually be home right behind you.” Christy chuckled and nodded. “Alright. See you at home.” She kissed Link’s cheek and headed out to the car. Link went to the office to clean it up and grab his phone and laptop.

Rhett kissed Jessie and combed his fingers through her hair. “I really am sorry, baby.”  
“It’s fine. There will always be more swim meets.”   
“I know. I just feel awful.”  
“Well, you have Locke to make it up to. Not me.” Jessie shook her head and stood. “I’m gonna head home. I expect you to be home in thirty minutes or less.”  
“Yes ma’am.” He smiled and turned to go to the office as well.


	12. Nausea

The next few weeks were pretty uneventful. Life moved on for the Neals and the McLaughlins as it usually had: work, dinner, family time, church, etc. The only thing that had Link lagging lately was the fact that he was coming down with something. For the past few nights, he’d wake up from intense nausea, and then would end up spending the rest of his night throwing up. Christy said it was probably just a bug that was staying in Link’s system since Link rarely got sick. The last time he had ever gotten the stomach flu was maybe in high school. However, when his nausea and vomiting exceeded four days, Christy made an appointment with the doctor.

Link also hadn’t been at work in a few days. He tried to go in on the first day of his bug, but Rhett ended up sending him home when he had thrown up in the bin in their office. So, Link hadn’t even been to work in a while. 

When Friday morning came around, the day of his doctor’s appointment, Link wasn’t even sure if he would be able to get off of the bathroom floor. All morning he was on his knees in front of the chamber pot, disposing of anything and everything in his stomach. His alpha was beginning to grow extremely anxious and frightened that something much worse was wrong with Link. Could he have cancer? Could it be food poisoning? Or maybe ulcers? Was his bulimia back? Christy honestly had no clue, but she was worried sick. 

Christy bent down next to her omega and brushed the hair off of his forehead. “Lincoln. Are you alright? Do you need me to call for an ambulance?”  
Link just shook his head and threw up again. Christy sighed and decided to rub his back and keep his hair out of his face. Once Link had finished, he flushed the toilet and sat back against the shower door. “Twenty-six.”  
“What, baby?” Christy cocked her head to the side and sat next to Link.  
“I’ve thrown up twenty-six times this morning, Christy. I don’t think I can make it to the thirtieth time.” Chirsty wrapped her arms around Link. “Well your appointment is in an hour. Do you think you could make it to the shower?”   
Link twisted his head around to look at the shower, as if checking to see how far away it was despite the fact that he was literally sitting against it. “I guess… I may need you to spot me the whole time.” Christy nodded and helped her husband stand up. “I can see if Dr Carter can make the trip over here.”  
“No.” He huffed, putting in all the energy he didn’t have, to stand up and get into the shower. He kicked his underwear off and let Christy peel his shirt off. The blonde did the same, knowing it’d be best to shower with him to help him stand. “Dr Carter doesn’t need to take the time out of his day to come see me. It’s better if I just man up and go to the office.”  
Knowing she didn’t have it in herself to argue with Link, she just nodded and turned on the shower. Moments like this, she wished they had a bathtub and not just a standing shower. She grabbed the shampoo and massaged it into Link’s hair as the brunet just stood there. He didn’t have the energy to move his arms up past his waist.   
“Do you have any idea what may be wrong with you? Is it your bulimia?” She spoke as she rinsed the shampoo from his scalp.   
“You think my bulimia would get this bad to where I’m throwing up for no reason at all? No. It’s not. And I have no idea what could be wrong with me. I feel fine other than the nausea.”  
“Well,” She grabbed the loofa, “I can’t think of what could be wrong with you. Even while pregnant, you rarely had morning sickness. Plus we haven’t had sex on a heat in almost a year. There’s no way you could be pregnant.”  
Link’s heart suddenly stopped. All he could remember was Rhett’s knot inside of him almost four weeks ago. “Shit.” He mumbled aloud to himself, causing Christy to stop what she was doing.   
“What’s wrong, honey? Are you about to be sick?” She started to turn off the water and open the door for Link.   
“N-no…” He swallowed hard. “No. I can’t be…” Link’s hands began to shake, and his hand darted to his stomach. It felt like his entire world, the entire universe, was slowly crushing in on him, like those booby traps in movies where spiked walls slowly move in towards the victim. “Fuck-” His voice was just as shaky as his hands. “Fuck…” Link quickly clambered out of the shower and bent over in front of the toilet, ready to throw up for the twenty-seventh time, however, nothing came out. The only thing coming out of him were tears. “This can’t be… Happening…” Link’s breathing was becoming less and less, for he was forgetting how to even breathe. “Christy- I think I’m gonna…” And alas, he was right. Everything in sight turned to black, and Link fell back into Christy’s arms, who was luckily there to catch him. Otherwise he probably would’ve hit his head on the floor, and possibly would’ve cracked his head open.   
“Shit!” Christy screamed, causing the kids in the other room to look at each other in confusion. Jade barked and yipped, and ran into the master bedroom.   
“Lily! I need my phone!” She yelled, and soon the small omega daughter was in the bathroom with Christy’s cellphone. “Mom! What’s wrong?” She looked at her dad passed out in her mother’s arms. “Your father just fainted! I-I need an ambulance! I don't know what’s wrong with him!” Christy was already dialing 9-1-1. “How about you get your brothers and Jade outside to play- ambulance please.” She quickly told the dispatcher. “Yes. My husband has been sick all morning, and he’s just passed out... No. No. I can assure you he’s not on drugs… Yes. I need an ambulance here immediately…” Christy looked down at Link and pressed her fingers to his neck. “Mhm. Still breathing. He still has a pulse.”  
Lily had run out and was rounding up her siblings to go outside. Yes. She just saw her parents naked. But that’s beside the point. 

Christy held Link up in her arms as she waited for the ambulance to arrive. There was no point putting on clothes. Paramedics have seen a lot. It really didn’t matter if the both of them were dripping wet and naked. Besides, the towel rack was too far away, and what was the point in moving Link? Something bad could happen if she did. So, she waited there for a solid nine minutes before the paramedics were let in by Lily, who showed them the way.

The paramedics lifted Link onto the bed and began checking his vitals. After what seemed like forever, Link began to open his eyes. A wave of relief washed over everyone in the room, and the paramedics were able to determine that him fainting was caused by a panic attack, and that he’d be fine. They were not able to determine what caused the nausea however, but his health was not immediate enough for him to be able to be taken to the emergency room. 

Christy, now dressed in a robe, thanked the men and showed them out the door. When she came back to the bedroom, Link was curled up in a ball on the bed and crying. Christy sighed softly and put an arm around Lily. “You’re such a brave girl. Thank you.” She kissed Lily’s forehead and smiled.   
“Is dad going to be okay?” She hugged her arms around her mother.  
“I think so. Now I just need the doctor to pay a house visit.”  
Lily nodded and let go of Christy. “I’ll make some lunch for Lincoln and Lando. Just take care of dad.”   
Christy chuckled and nodded. Her daughter would make a wonderful mother one day. The blonde woman walked into the room and crawled into bed with her omega. “Link? Are you alright?” She rubbed his back, wanting to make him stop crying.   
“Christy… We need to talk. I know why I’ve been sick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is pretty short. As I was typing the last sentence, I realized that it would be a pretty good chapter ending.


	13. Battle

“Well, if you know why you’ve been sick, why haven’t you ever told me?” She combed her fingers through his wet, artificially black hair.  
Link grunted and rolled himself over so he was face to face with Christy. “Because I just figured it out in the shower…”  
“Oh.” Her thin fingers traced the line of stubble on his jaw. “Is that what caused you to have a panic attack?”  
Link nodded a small nod. “Yeah…”  
“Do you wanna tell me, baby?” Christy searched for the answer in his foggy blue eyes.  
“I mean… I don’t want to. Hell, I really don’t want to. But I know I have to.”  
“What does that mean?” Christy was becoming more confused with each and every answer that came out of Link’s mouth.  
“Well, you won’t like what you hear.”  
“As long as you aren’t dying, I promise it can’t be that bad…” She dragged her thumb over Link’s cheekbone, catching a tear that fell.  
“What Ben told you was a lie.”  
“Hm? What are you talking about? Ben who, babe?”  
Link groaned. It was gonna be harder than he expected. “Remember when you came to the office in search of Rhett and I?”  
“Oh yeah. And Ben told us that- that was a lie?!” Link could feel the tension in his alpha rise.  
“Y-yes…” Link looked away. He didn’t want his alpha to get mad at him.  
“Then what was the truth, Lincoln? Tell me.” A small growl escaped her throat, which rarely ever happened. Link’s shoulders instantly tensed up, and he felt his eyes tear up again. His submissive nature easily came over him.  
“P-please don’t kill me but-”  
“But what, Lincoln?” She let out another growl followed by a snarl.  
“I-I-” he was starting to cry, “I went into heat and then Rhett knotted me!” After admitting his mistake to his alpha, he buried his head in his pillow. He was afraid she’d hurt him. After all, she did chuck a phone at his head once.  
“You let Rhett fuck you?!” Christy unknowingly dug her nails into Link’s side, causing the omega to let out a yelp.  
“Y-yes ma’am! I didn’t mean to! I was out of scent blockers and it just happened!” He sobbed, digging his head as far into the pillow as he could.  
Christy let out a rumbling growl and grabbed her phone, dialing Rhett’s number.  
“Yellow, Christy? What can I do for ya-”  
“You fucked my husband?!” She snarled into the phone. Rhett cringed when he heard Link yelping in the background.  
“Christy. Calm down. Whatever you’re doing to Link, stop. We can talk it out.” Jessie was sitting next to Rhett on the couch, and looked absolutely confused and worried. “ ‘Scuse me, baby.” he mumbled to Jessie and excused himself to the backyard.  
Christy pulled her nails out of Link’s side. “You knotted my goddamn omega?!”  
“Yes, Christy! I can explain!”  
“You can explain after I knock your fucking teeth out!” She yelled into the phone and got up, searching for clothes to put on. “I want you here in thirty minutes. No excuses.” Christy hung up and chucked her phone at the wall, causing it to crack and break in three spots. She clenched her teeth together and breathed extremely heavily. Link was still cowering on the bed. Never had he ever seen his alpha so upset, and he had caused it.  
\-----------

Rhett put his head in his hands and had walked back inside.  
“Is everything alright, honey bun?” Jessie walked over to him with a cup of matcha tea.  
“Um…” He’d have to come clean, wouldn’t he? “So… Uh… We need to talk about something.”  
“Mhm?” The small brunette woman stood on her tiptoes to kiss Rhett’s jaw. “What is it, sugah lips?”  
Rhett chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “You’re weird." Jessie just shrugged. “It comes with being short.”  
The alpha just shook his head, took the tea, and set it down. He sat down on the couch and pulled her into his lap. “Well you might get mad at me. And you should. You have every right to get pissed at me and even strangle me to death.” As he spoke, he brushed Jessie’s hair with his large fingers. Jessie didn’t speak, knowing Rhett would continue.  
“So that one night when I missed Locke’s meet and was the worst husband and father in history- I didn’t even know Ben was still in the office.” Rhett’s hands began to sweat immensely, and if he hadn’t been holding Jessie, he would’ve been picking at his fingers. Although Jessie was confused and starting to get a bit upset that Rhett had obviously lied, she watched him contently and didn’t say a word. “In reality, I was asleep in our office with Link. He was naked and laying on top of me.” He didn’t even bother looking into Jessie’s eyes. He was ashamed. “Link had started his heat. All of his scent blockers were gone. We were trying to film an episode, but Link’s costume was way too tight in the penis area. When I noticed his heat had started, he darted off. I went to check on him. My only intentions were to check on my friend. Never in a million years would I have had the thought of sleeping with a man, let alone my best friend of thirty-five years. But when I opened the door, I was greeted by his scent… And Link has been careful all these years. I’ve never smelt his actual, unique, start of heat scent. It was the most alluring thing I’ve ever smelt in my life. Before I knew it, the alpha inside of me took over. He was just an omega in trouble, and I had to save him. That’s what kept going through my mind…” Rhett’s eyes finally found Jessie’s again. She had tears in her eyes, yet her face read calm and collected. “Jess?” He lightly brushed his knuckles across her cheeks.  
“I’m not mad, Rhett.” Her voice showed no emotion.  
“You’re not…?”  
“No. You’re an alpha. You have every right in the world to knot as many omegas as you’d like.”  
Rhett felt his heart break even more. That was never his intention. His intention was to only knot Jessie, and to make sure she felt like the most spoiled and loved omega in the world… And he had failed to do so.  
“Jessie. That’s not me, though. I don’t want to sleep with a million omegas. I only want you! Plus, I’m not gay! Ew! I’m already ashamed of myself that I knotted a male omega! That’s disgusting!”  
Jessie just shook her head. She knew Rhett enjoyed it, and she really wasn’t mad. She had no feelings towards the situation. The only thought she had was that she wondered if Link had gotten pregnant. Most likely he hadn’t. Link had multiple miscarriages just trying to conceive Lando. His factory was surely broken down there. But what if? 

Jessie kissed Rhett’s cheek and slid off of his lap. “So what did Christy want?”  
The blond sighed loudly and stood up. “She wants me to come over so she can punch me in the face. Honestly, I deserve it. I’m just worried about Link.”  
Jessie picked up the tea to warm it back up. “Christy would never get abusive.”  
“Well she almost has before, and Link was whimpering and yelping in the background.”  
The short woman popped the cup in the microwave. “Trust me. Link will be fine. You on the other hand… You might want to send me in first to calm her down. Otherwise, you might end up six feet under the ground.”  
Rhett let out a shaky breath and nodded. Christy may appear small and weak to the eyes, but that girl could pack a punch, alright. “Yeah. Sounds like a plan.” 

Rhett changed into jeans and a tshirt, while Jessie changed into a sundress. The couple took one last kiss before getting into the car and heading over to Rhett’s demise.  
\--------------

Christy sent the kids back outside with their lunch. In front of them she tried to keep her temper down, but as soon as they were back outside, she continued to growl and snarl over every little thing. She was going to beat Rhett’s ass in until it was purple and swelling. She was going to make sure he never put even a finger on her omega again. She was going to make sure that Rhett knew who Link belonged to. Then later on she’d make sure to scent Link like she had never scented him before. Mark him even more. Anything to signify that Link was a taken omega by Christian Marie White Neal. 

When she heard a car pull up and the doors slam shut, she felt her temperature and her temper rise right back up again. However, her anger was quickly vanished when Jessie walked through the door. “Christy, I know you’re angry, but you have to remember that Rhett’s a human being too.” That was the first thing that escaped Jessie’s mouth when she walked in.

Christy’s fists unclenched and her eyes softened. Obviously she wasn’t going to hit both her best friend and an omega. “Jess. He knotted /my/ omega. He is marked for a reason! That doesn’t mean he can just go stuffing his knot in anything that breathes! He has boundaries!”

“Hey!” Rhett snarled when he walked through the door.”I do not ‘stuff my knot in anything that breathes!’ I’ve never cheated on Jessie until now! And I never will again! It was your stupid omega that forgot to take his heat suppressants like he usually does.” 

Link had walked into the living room at the wrong time. He instantly teared up when he heard Rhett refer to him as a stupid omega. Jessie noticed it as well and glared at her husband. As Link ran back into the bedroom, Jessie instantly followed. 

Rhett saw Link and instantly felt a pang in his chest. “Link! I didn’t mean that!” He began to follow Link and Jessie, but was yanked back by Christy. “You’re going no where near him!” She snarled and showed her canines. Rhett’s alpha overcame him, and he did the same. Both alphas were growling and snarling at each other. “He’s my friend. I have every right to see him.”  
“He’s my omega! I own him and I will dictate whether you get to see him or not!”  
Rhett snarled at her again and pushed her against the wall. “I guess he doesn’t agree since he was the one begging for my knot inside of him. Not yours.” He smirked, but was instantly pushed to the ground by Christy. “Take that back, or I swear to God Himself that I will rip your goddamn throat out and hang it on the wall.” Christy dug her nails into Rhett’s throat. He lashed and clawed at Christy until he was able to kick her off of him. Rhett brought his hand to his throat and growled when he saw blood. “You fucking bitch!” He jumped at Christy, but the alpha had already gotten back up. Rhett was just about to pounce on her when Jessie came in and jumped between the two. “KNOCK IT OFF!” She put her hands between the two alphas, and the fighting immediately came to a close. “Christy! You’re going to take a seat on the couch, and you’re going to let Rhett explain what happened-”  
“Link already did!”  
Jessie glared at her. “Don’t cut me off. You’re going to let Rhett explain what happened in detail. You’re not going to interrupt. And if either of you even make the slightest move towards each other, I’m taking Link and the kids, and I’m calling the Omega Helpline. And just have fun seeing what tortures they do to you two.” She gave a warning glare at each alpha. “Now. Christy. Sit. Rhett, explain.”

Both alphas gave each other a final death stare before obeying the omega’s wishes. Christy sat down on the couch and crossed her arms, giving Rhett the bitchiest stare. “Go on.”  
Rhett just rolled his eyes and started his story. “We were trying to film an episode, but Link’s costume was way too tight in the pelvis area.... When I noticed his heat had started, he darted off into our office in search for his emergency scent blockers. I guess the last time he used them, he forgot to get more because they were all gone. I went to check on him. My only intentions were to check on my friend. Never in a million years would I have had the thought of sleeping with a man, let alone my best friend of thirty-five years. But when I opened the door, I was greeted by his scent… And Link has been careful all these years. I’ve never smelt his actual, unique, start of heat scent. It was the most alluring thing I’ve ever smelt in my life- I’m sorry Christy. I really am. Before I knew it, the alpha inside of me took over. He was just an omega in trouble, and I had to save him. That’s what kept going through my mind… And I am truly and utterly sorry for everything.”

Christy sat there with her arms still crossed over her chest, except her temper had gone down immensely, and her eyes had softened. “So you never meant to?”  
“Of course not. I’d never do that to you, Christy. Or Jessie. Or Link!”  
Christy let out a sigh and stood up. Jessie immediately began to tense up, fearing that they were about to fight again. However, the blonde went past Rhett and came back with a dampened washrag. She held it to Rhett’s throat for him. “I’m sorry. You have my permission to see Link.” Rhett gave her the most thankful look, and darted off to the master bedroom. His heart stopped at the doorway when he took a whiff of the air. That was definitely not Link’s usual scent. He let out a long groan and walked over to Link. The omega was curled up under the covers and crying. Rhett felt even worse now. “Bo?”  
Rhett ran his hand through Link’s hair. “What do we do now?” Link’s voice was soft and small.  
“What do you mean?” Rhett whispered so his tone matched Link’s, not wanting to disturb him anymore.  
“About the baby… Our baby…”  
Rhett’s heart stopped even more. That was the scent. “He’s pregnant…?” Rhett looked up at Jessie and Christy in the hallway, who both nodded in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to leave a comment if you're enjoying this fic! Comments are what encourage me to keep writing the story! So if you want to see another chapter, leave a comment!


	14. High Hopes

All Rhett could do next was crawl in bed with Link, and Christy did no such thing to stop him. Christy had finally come to terms with everything as well. Link was pregnant with Rhett’s baby. That meant that Link would be dependent on Rhett for the next eight to ten months. Not Christy. She could help, but the person Link would actually need would be Rhett.  
Rhett pulled Link into his arms and held him to his chest. “I’m sorry, bo. I really am…”  
Link flipped over in Rhett’s arms so they could be face to face. “I know you are, Rhett. I know you never meant to get me pregnant… Let alone even sleep with me in the first place. I know you regret it...”  
“Link…” Rhett brought his hands up to caress Link’s face. “I don’t regret anything. I mean, yeah I didn’t ever want you to get pregnant, but I don’t regret having sex. Even if Christy almost killed me over it…” Christy rolled her eyes in response and gently pulled on Jessie’s arm. “Let’s go watch the kids.” She whispered, wanting to give Rhett and Link some space.

“But I thought you hated the fact that you slept with a guy…” Link mumbled and looked at Rhett’s shirt. He really didn’t want to make eye contact.  
“I thought I did. Truthfully, Linkster…” He lifted Link’s chin to look into his clear blue eyes. “But then… As I walked in here, and smelled your scent… I realized that it’s the opposite of that. I’m in love with you, Link. Madly in love with you. And I’m honored that you’re carrying my baby.”  
Link blushed a bright red. “You love me…?”  
Rhett nodded and brushed his lips against Link’s forehead. “Do you not feel the same…?”  
The omega rolled his eyes and punched Rhett in the shoulder. “I’ve been in love with you basically me whole life, dumb ass. I can’t believe you’re just now realizing that. Even Christy knew. Ever since like my first fucking date with her.”  
Now Rhett was the one blushing. “R-really? She knew?”  
“Yes, Rhett! I didn’t know you could be so thick! She could smell your scent on me since we were around each other twenty-four seven back then. And she could tell by the way I talked about you… She also said that it would be okay if you and I were to ever do anything together, but obviously she’s forgotten about that…” Link chuckled awkwardly. “But yes. I love you too, Rhett. And I can’t believe this is just now being admitted. Fucking thirty years later.”  
“Hey!” Rhett frowned and tapped Link’s nose. “Watch your language. There’s a baby in the room.” Link gave him a confused look, then finally looked down at his own stomach and smiled. “Oops. Sorry.” Link began to giggle like a schoolgirl. He was actually really happy. He was having a baby with the alpha of his dreams. He’d only been wanting Rhett since like third grade. Nothing big. Of course, his wife did almost kill his best friend, but that’s beside the point. Link was finally with Rhett, after all. 

Link rolled over to grab his phone. “So what are we going to do, though. Honestly.”  
“Well what do you mean, bo?” Rhett rose a brow and instinctively pulled Link closer.  
“Well what are we going to do about the baby? And you being with me throughout the pregnancy?”  
“Oh… Well obviously we’d be together for hours at work. And-”  
“But what about the nights?” Link interrupted. “You know I had complications having Lando. If this baby is gonna survive, I’m gonna need your scent literally every waking moment of the day.” He mumbled while still looking up something on his phone.  
“I can just scent things for you. Right?” Rhett nuzzled his face into Link’s neck in attempt to see what the brunet was doing on his phone.  
“I don’t know if that will be enough, though. Scenting doesn’t always work well unless you ejaculate on everything. I don’t know if Christy will appreciate you coming all over our blankets, and the couch. I think she’d actually kill you. Pretty sure this blanket was almost two hundred dollars.” Link turned his phone off and set it back on the nightstand. He turned back over only for his heart to be crushed by Rhett’s frowning face. “Bo, what’s wrong?” Link frowned as well and began placing kisses to Rhett’s jaw. The blonde let out a small sigh, as he lifted his hand up to rub the tears from his eyes. “I-...” He started but then stopped. “I don’t want to lose the baby, Link. I actually truly want this baby.” He felt pathetic as the tears poured down his face. Link gasped softly and nuzzled into his chest. “We won’t, bo. We won’t. I will never let that happen. I promise we’ll figure something out.” As much as Link loved to see Rhett be so sensitive, he hated it as well. Two things should be known about Rhett. One, he’s the manliest man known to Link. And two, Rhett never cries. He only cries in front of Jessie to seem sensitive, because apparently that turns her on. Link was almost certain that Rhett didn’t even cry at the birth of his two sons. He’s a man of steel. So for Link to see Rhett break down over the slight possibility of losing this baby, a baby that’s barely even formed yet- basically not even a baby, made Link feel like he was having a heart attack.  
Link pressed a few kisses to Rhett’s neck. Suddenly, he was hit with an idea. “Rhett. Remember when we were in the process of moving from Lillington to California, and we touched on the idea of putting both of our families in one house?” Rhett, who was still crying like a baby, wasn’t picking up on what Link was putting down. “Y-yeah… But we threw out the idea, because you and I would’ve literally killed each other if we lived together.”  
Link sighed and moved to get his phone again. “Yes, but are you getting what I’m saying?” Rhett just shook his head. “No you’re being the typical Link, saying things that literally don’t mean anything and expecting me to get it. No Link. I don’t know what a potato lire is. No Link, I don’t get why we need a duck on our show full time. No Link. I don’t get why you left me at the gas station so you could go pet a labrador.” Rhett grumbled, bringing up things from past conversations. “You’re being stupid like usual.”  
Link gasped and quickly stood up. “Fuck you too, McLaughlin. Maybe having a baby with you isn’t a good idea if you’re going to attack me like that. Fuck off.” He hissed and quickly left the room. Link stormed down the hall and went to find Christy and Jessie- two women who’d understand what he was trying to say.

 

Both women were in the kitchen trying to start dinner, since they both figured Rhett would want to stay with Link for a couple of hours. “Hey Link. How are you and Rhett feeling?” Link just shook his head at Jessie’s question, and sat down on a stool at their island. “Rhett’s being an ass.”  
“I’ll kill him.” Christy growled. “No one treats a pregnant omega like-.” Jessie punched her in the shoulder. “Shush. You’re being crazy. What happened?”  
“We were both worried how the baby is gonna survive since we don’t live together, and Rhett began crying. Trying to make him feel better, I attempted to share my idea with him on how we could make it better. However, he didn’t get it and called me stupid. So now I’m pissed off.” He angrily took a bite out of an apple.  
“Well, would you like to share your idea with us?” Jessie asked, rubbing Christy’s back to get her to calm back down. It had been a crazy day. Everyone’s emotions seemed to be on high alert.  
“Yeah I guess. Obviously we’d need your opinions and acceptance of it anyways. Um, I think we should buy a house together. Then Rhett and I will be able to care for the baby together instead of like sending it off to a different house every night. Plus, then maybe the pregnancy will go smoother…” Link stared down at his apple, too scared of being rejected by Jessie and Christy.  
“Huh.” Christy pondered for a moment. “I mean, I can’t see why it wouldn’t work out. The kids would really love it. I think Jessie and I would love it.”  
“I totally would.” Jess smiled. “I think that’s a really good idea, Link!”  
Link beamed and tossed the half eaten apple in the trash. “Wow. I didn’t think it would be that easy…” He hopped up to his feet. “I’m gonna go look up some houses.” With that, he hopped off to his office to research. 

Rhett, after having stopped crying, finally got off and walked into the kitchen. “Have you guys seen Link?” Christy nodded and pointed to the door that lead to Link’s home office. “He’s researching.” Rhett nodded and knocked on the door. “Hey Linkster. Can I come in?”  
“I dunno. Are you going to call me stupid?” Rhett sighed and hung his head in shame. “No… I uh came to apologise for what I said. I love you and I love your mind and how it works.” That must’ve struck a chord, because moments later, Link was opening the door. “I accept your apology. Now come in here.” He left the door open and sat back down at his desk. “What do you think about this house? It’s two stories. Six bedrooms. Two offices. Four and a half bathrooms. A large open kitchen with a dining room attached. A big living room. And a nice backyard and an inground pool.”  
Rhett sat down next to him to see what Link was looking at. “Yeah. Sounds great, but why are you looking at this?”  
“We’re gonna move in together. Four adults, six kids, two dogs. It’ll be great.”  
Rhett’s eyes widened. “When did we decide this?”  
“We didn’t. Me, Christy, and Jessie decided it.”  
“Oh. So I have no say?”  
“Well,” Link looked at him. “If you say no, I’m not having a baby with you. It’ll die because its dad didn’t want to live in the same house as its mom.”  
Rhett chuckled. “Well I agree that we should definitely buy a house together. How much is this one?” He sat down and put his arm around Link.  
“It’s uh… 15 mil… Which is a shitton of money, but we were the ones who chose to move to California.”  
“Damn. We could’ve bought a hundred acres of land, a mansion, a farm, and ten horses back in Carolina for 15 mil.”  
“I know… But with all of our kids, we need at least five bedrooms: Lily and the baby, Locke and Lincoln, Shepard and Lando, Christy and I, and you and Jess. And I really don’t want Lily to have to share a room with a crying baby. So that’s why I was looking at a six bedroom house. And in California, 15 mil for what we want is literally the cheapest price I can find. There’s a six bedroom house with thirteen bathrooms for 30 million.” Link sarcastically suggested.  
“Okay. But who would need thirteen bathrooms?” Rhett laughed and stared at the mansion on the screen.  
“Millionaires have to poop too, Rhett.”  
“Then how many millionaires are gonna live in that house?”  
“I dunno.” Link shrugged. “Maybe two.”  
Rhett laughed and pulled back up the cheaper mansion. “So how are we gonna afford this? My house was two mil. So when we sell it, we only be getting seventy-five percent back.”  
“I know. I guess we just put out more merch, make cuts at work, and get some money out of our savings accounts.”  
“I suppose so… I guess we should try to make more money off of our videos.”  
“Yeah but how could we? I mean, in all honesty, we’re already in the clickbait zone. We’re already letting the crew come up with videos just for views.” Link began pulling up their channel to look at the statistics, as well as SoundCloud and iTunes to look at Ear Biscuits.  
“Well, Stevie was telling me that we’re losing EB sponsors, due to the fact that less people are listening on the SoundCloud and iTunes platforms.”  
“Oh? How so?”  
“They base how many people see it from iTunes and SoundCloud.”  
“Oh. So our video EBs are problematic?”  
“I think so.”  
“So we should take it away?” Link cocked his head in confusion.  
“Well, no. Maybe we can release it in clips. Then we’d get the views and get more money. Then we can also get them going back to the original platforms to listen.”  
“Wow. That’s actually a really good idea.” He pulled up his email and began composing an email to Stevie. “I’m sure the fans won’t mind. It is, after all, an Ear Biscuit. Not an Eye Biscuit.”  
“Yeah. How mad could they possibly get?”  
“So we’re definitely buying this house?” Link changed the subject.  
“Definitely. Let’s get it tomorrow for all I care.”  
"You're right. Let me just pull 15 million dollars out of my ass." Link snorted.  
"My dad once told me that my uncle once pulled a quarter out of his ass."  
"Wow." Link laughed. "Let's just ask if he's got fifteen million up there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye bois! I just wanted to note that if $15 million seems like a lot for a house, it is. But real estate in California is hella high. An apartment can be the cost of a nice one story house in Indiana. You gotta keep in mind that California is densely populated, so the demand for a place to live is hella high. I just wanted to point that out, kids. 
> 
> Also sorry if the end of the chapter sucks. I began to get writer's block. This is why I suck at writing fanfics.


	15. The True Meaning of Bo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does the nickname "Bo" stand for?

Link laid, covered in a warm thick blanket, on the couch in their office at work. Rhett sat at his desk nearby, typing on his Apple computer in the dimly lit room. The only lights that were on was the lamp on Rhett’s desk and the lighting coming off of his computer. 

It had been two months since Link’s discovery that he was indeed with-child. They were necks deep into season two of Buddy System, and it was becoming extremely stressful. Rhett and Link spent the last two months drilling deep into writing the scripts, writing the songs, and casting the right people for the parts. With Buddy System season one, this took from 2015 to 2016 to complete. However, since Link was about to be swelling with a baby for the fourth time in his life, and the fans were impatient and excited for a new season, they had about three months to have season two filmed and off to editing. Even now, being only two- almost three- months along, one could tell that Link was pregnant. This definitely came as a problem to filming, because Link in the show isn’t pregnant nor even written as an omega. (They left all of that alpha/omega junk out of the show. They just wanted everyone to be equals.) The makeup and costume department were working on outfits and ways to bring the eyes away from the baby bump. The fact that Buddy System was being rushed, however, wasn’t helpful at all.   
Rhett and Link wanted to wait until the baby was born, but the only setback to that was that there would be almost a two year gap between seasons due to that. They’d still have to wait the nine months of Link’s pregnancy, and then another year for Link to be on leave. Obviously, they didn’t plan on Link being on leave from shooting Good Mythical Morning. Definitely since they could bring the baby to the office. But filming Buddy System was a whole different story. Taking a baby on the set of a show isn’t that recommended. All the people, bright lights, loud noises, and possible diseases don’t bode well for babies. They’d have to wait at least six months to film, since Link would be needed on demand to breast feed. Then there’s possibly even more time between, because Link would want to lose all of the baby weight before being seen on camera. And like mentioned before- the fans wouldn’t be patient enough to wait almost two years for a new season.

So due to that, Rhett and Link stayed after work for an extra four hours every night. Typically, they arrived at nine in the morning and left at six in the evening. However, now they were arriving at eight in the morning and leaving at nearly ten at night. Yes, they were under immense pressure and stress, but Rhett was under the most. Link was pregnant, and due to how his ovaries worked, he was one slip up away from miscarrying. One trip over his shoelace, one night of a high pressure situation, even one night away from Rhett could cost the life of the baby. So even though both of them stayed late, it was typically Rhett on the computer. He always sent Link to lay down, despite the protests of, “But I’m not even tired, and not even stressed! Rhett it’s fine!” Rhett always won, because his response was always, “Fine. Lose the baby and see how our relationship goes from there.” Link would always go silent and lay down. Afterall, Rhett was the alpha, which meant that Link technically should be obeying his orders.  
Now, the work wasn’t all entirely dependent on Rhett. Rhett would always look over to see if Link was asleep or not. If he was awake, Rhett would ask for advice, clarify any details or questions, or simply just try to involve him. He knew it did hurt Link if he wasn’t involved in the work, but Link did need to understand that Rhett’s work was stressful. And Link’s pregnany body can’t take the stress. Link also needed to understand that he’s a naturally stressed person. Link started going grey in his late twenties. He’s been dyeing his hair since. (Hence why sometimes his hair looks black and other times it’s obviously brown.) The brunet had to take it easy. Him and Rhett really wanted this baby. They had to be as careful as they possibly could. 

Rhett finished an email and sent it to Jimmy Fallon. They had casted Jimmy in Buddy System and had to work out times when Jimmy needed to fly to Los Angeles. The blond looked over his shoulder to monitor his pregnant omega. Link wasn’t sleeping, but was instead hovering over a trash can.  
“Bo! You okay?” Rhett quickly stood up and rushed over to help Lincoln.   
“Yeah… Just feelin’ sick…” The brunet dry heaved, but nothing came up. Rhett instantly felt his own stomach sink. He put an arm under Link’s thighs and the other around Link’s back and pulled him into his arms. “Come on. We’re going to the bathroom.”  
Even though Link was constantly battling morning sickness, Rhett got worried every time.  
Link clung weakly onto Rhett. Being constantly sick really packed a punch onto him. He always felt weak and tired, which probably wasn’t much of a good thing for a sensitive pregnant omega. It seemed like when he wasn’t throwing up, he was eating food or drinking tea. The sad thing was that he couldn’t take a medication for the morning sickness. He tried when he was pregnant with Lincoln, and his body just rejected the pill altogether.

Link dry heaved into the toilet right as Rhett had set him down in the bathroom. There was really nothing in his stomach to expel anymore. He was completely empty inside.  
“Link. I think we should go to the hospital. This is the thirteenth time today.”  
“N-no. I’m fine. I just need some tea and some crackers. It’ll be alright.” Link nuzzled his face into Rhett’s chest. The blond wrapped his arm around Link. “Are you sure?”  
“Positive… Come on. I wanna lay back down.” Link nudged his alpha and began to get back up. Rhett scooped Link back up and carried him back to their office. “Should we just go home, or are you okay with staying another hour?”   
Link looked at the clock on the wall over their door, which read 10:52 pm. “Well Christy might actually kill us for coming home past eleven. We should get going.” Rhett nodded and laid Link back down. “I’ll start closing everything up. I promise you a cup of chamomile tea and a box of crackers when we get home.”  
“Sounds good.” Link smiled and pulled his fluffy blanket back over himself. “I’ll be waiting right here.” Rhett nodded again and headed into the main office to start shutting down computers and turning off lights. He then walked into the kitchen and cleaned up a few cups left behind by the crew. Remembering that they were running low at home, he stuffed a few chamomile tea bags into his pocket. Rhett, using the flashlight on his phone, made a few more final checks around their Burbank office before heading back to retrieve his Link. The brunet was already standing at the door with his shoes and winter coat on. (It was the middle of July.) “Ready!” Link cheered very cutely, which caused Rhett’s heart to flutter.”Alright, come on Bojangles.” He chuckled, pulling lightly on Link’s arm.  
“Bojangles? Really?” Link looked at him.  
“Yes really. You didn’t know? After all this time?”  
“Know? Know what?”  
“That’s what Bo is short for. Wow. Thirty years of calling each other Bo, and you don’t even know what it stands for?” He said sarcastically, guiding Link out of the office.  
“I always thought it stood for bad ogar.” Link joked. “Honestly, being called Bojangles is a compliment. Keep up the good work.” Link chuckled. “Hey. We should put that somewhere.”  
“Is this another one of your ideas that no one ever understands?”  
“Yeah. Probably, honestly. I’m just gonna shut up now.” He grumbled and scooted into the passenger’s side of Rhett’s car.”  
Rhett grinned at his silly best friend- and now lover- and put the car into gear. “Any cravings of fast food or are you still sick?”  
“Um... “ He looked down at his baby bump for answers. “I think tea and crackers still sounds divine, thank you.”  
“Tea and crackers it is.”

The good thing about driving home through Los Angeles at eleven at night, was that there was absolutely no traffic. One would think that the city comes alive at night, but on a Tuesday night, it’s the exact opposite. Hopes and dreams do die at night- or at least sleep… But yes, there still are prostitutes working corners and youngsters drunkenly wobbling down some sidewalks. But for the most part, all the traffic in the city is during morning to evening hours.   
Rhett and Link had left the office at eleven, and were home by eleven thirty. Just as they thought, all the lights in their joint house were off, except a lamp in the living room. It did hurt Rhett and Link that they were never home for their wives and kids lately, but there wasn’t much that they could do about it. Work had to be done, and no one else was going to do it.

Rhett helped Link out of the car and guided him towards the front door. As soon as Rhett unlocked the door, he could hear Jade and Barbara running down the stairs.He pushed open the door and was immediately greeted at the ankles by the small dogs. “Shhhh!” Rhett hushed and closed the door behind him. Link toed off his shoes and bent over to pick up Jade. “It’s night night time, baby girl.” He kissed Rhett on the cheek. “I’m gonna go change into my pajamas and see if Christy is still up.” Link said before heading up the stairs. Rhett nodded and went to the kitchen to make Link some tea and let Barbara outside one more time before bed. He slid the glass door back and watched Barbara dart out into the night. Rhett searched the cupboards for Link’s favorite Star Wars mug, filled it with water, and popped it into the microwave. He filled up the dogs’ water as he waited for the water in the mug to heat up, then poured some saltine crackers into a bowl for Link. 

The brunet knocked lightly on Jessie and Rhett’s door, where Christy and Jessie had and would be sleeping throughout Link’s pregnancy.   
“Yes, baby?” Christy called. “Come on in.” Christy was still up, scrolling through Facebook and Instagram on her phone. Link pushed the door open and grinned. “Hey, sweetie.” He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Just came to give you a kiss goodnight.” He combed back Christy's hair and kissed her forehead, then her cheek, then her lips. “I love you.”  
“I love you too, Linkie.” She giggled softly. “Sleep well, okay? I worry about you a lot these days.”  
“I know. I know. I promise I sleep enough.” He continued to comb her hair with his fingers. “Goodnight, sweetheart.” He kissed her once more and stood back up. “Night, Jessie.” He whispered, just in case Jessie was still awake, and headed for his bedroom. Rhett came up not too long after with the tea and crackers, just as promised, and soon the two were cuddled up in bed together.   
“I love you, bo.” Rhett hummed softly.  
“I love you too, Bojangles.” He sang back, already drifting off into sleep. “Damn, I could def’ go for some chicken from Bo right now.” He mumbled, already half asleep.  
Rhett chuckled and pulled his omega into his arms. “Bo for my Bo.”


End file.
